Japanese submarine I-44

I-44 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B2 submarine. Completed and commissioned in January 1944, she served in the late stages of World War II, she conducted war patrols in the Pacific Ocean as a conventional submarine before she was converted into a "kaiten" suicide attack torpedo carrier. She then conducted "kaiten" operations during the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa before she was sunk in April 1945.
Construction and commissioning.
"I-44" was laid down on 11 June 1942 by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal at Yokosuka, Japan, with the name Submarine No. 374. Eventually named , she was launched on 5 March 1943. She was completed and commissioned on 31 January 1944.
Service history.
Upon commissioning, "I-44" was assigned to Submarine Squadron 11 in the 6th Fleet. Once her workups were complete, she called at the Tokuyama Fuel Depot from 28 to 29 March 1944 to refuel.
First war patrol.
On 31 March 1944, "I-44" and the submarines , , , and received orders to deploy in the Pacific Ocean east of Palau to intercept a Palau-bound United States Navy task force. She got underway from Agenosho Bay that day, but received a recall order on 5 April 1944. She arrived at Kure on 14 April 1944. After her arrival at Kure, "I-44" became the first Japanese submarine fitted with the Type 13 air-search radar.
Operation "Tatsumaki".
"I-44" was reassigned to Submarine Division 15 in Submarine Squadron 1 in the Advance Unit in the 6th Fleet on 28 April 1944. In May 1944, she and the submarines , , and and the auxiliary submarine tender began training in the Seto Inland Sea off Nasakejima for Operation "Tatsumaki" ("Tornado"), which called for the submarines to transport modified Type 4 "Ka-Tsu" amphibious tracked landing craft, each armed with two torpedoes, from Kure to Majuro. After the submarines launched the "Ka-Tsu" vehicles, the operation called for the vehicles to proceed to shore, move overland across the atoll's islands, then enter the water in the lagoon and attack Allied ships with torpedoes. Operation "Tatsumaki" later was postponed pending the correction of defects found in the "Ka-Tsu" vehicles and eventually was canceled entirely.
Second war patrol.
On 15 May 1944, "I-44" departed Kure along with "I-41" and "I-53" to begin her second war patrol. The three submarines were assigned to picket duty off the Bismarck Archipelago, northeast of New Ireland and north of Kavieng. One source has suggested that the U.S. submarine torpedoed and damaged "I-44" on 26 May 1944, but Japanese sources do not confirm this. Instead, while "I-44" was on the surface in the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of on 27 May 1944 and operating her new air-search radar, an Allied plane surprised her and scored several near-misses; Japanese historians disagree on whether the radar set was defective or its inexperienced operator made mistakes while still learning to use it properly. She crash-dived, but several patrol vessels then attacked her, scoring several more near-misses. She rigged for silent running, and eventually broke contact with them. With her periscopes, her main switchboard, and many of her instruments damaged and a leak in her bow section, she surfaced after escaping the Allied vessels. She soon sighted a U.S. Navy PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber flying nearby; unable to submerge again, she evaded the plane by escaping into a rain squall. She reached Kure on 5 June 1944 and underwent repairs there.
Third war patrol.
The commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, activated Operation Shō-Gō 1 for the defense of the Philippine Islands on 13 October 1944. With her repairs complete, "I-44" got underway from Kure on 19 October 1944 for her third war patrol, assigned a patrol area east of the Philippines and off Leyte as part of Submarine Group B, which also included the submarines , , and . She was in the Bashi Channel in darkness on 20 October 1944 when an explosion in her automatic trim system pressure tank killed three members of her crew, wrecked her gyrocompass, and disabled one of her propeller shafts. Forced to return to Japan for repairs, she arrived at Kure on 22 October 1944.
Conversion to "kaiten" carrier.
The last surviving Type B2 submarine, "I-44" was selected for conversion to carry "kaiten" suicide attack torpedoes. While she was under repair, her deck gun was removed to make room on her afterdeck for fittings to allow her to carry four "kaitens" abaft her conning tower and her aircraft hangar and catapult were removed from her foredeck to make room forward of her conning tower for the fittings for two more "kaitens". In addition, a Type 22 surface-search radar also was installed aboard her.
The Japanese originally intended to assign "I-44" to take part in the first operational use of "kaitens", but cancelled her participation in the mission in early November 1944. In early February 1945, she received orders to proceed to the "kaiten" base at Otsujima along with the submarines and to begin "kaiten"-handling training.
First "kaiten" mission.
On 19 February 1945, the Battle of Iwo Jima began with the U.S. landings on Iwo Jima. That day, "I-44", "I-368", and "I-370" were assigned to the "Chihaya" "Kaiten" Group, with orders to attack Allied ships off the island. "I-44" was the last of the three submarines to get underway, departing Otsujima at 09:00 on 22 February 1945 for her fourth war patrol and first "kaiten" mission. She was on the surface recharging her batteries southwest of Iwo Jima on 25 February 1945 when two or three Allied warships — which her lookouts identified as destroyers or submarine chasers — sighted her and forced her to dive. She remained submerged for 47 hours, during which the carbon dioxide levels inside her reached 6 percent, before she could break contact and surface safely.
"I-44" reached her patrol area south of Iwo Jima late on 26 February 1945. On 28 February, she attempted an approach to Iwo Jima on the surface from east of the island, but a TBF Avenger aircraft attacked her and forced her to submerge and retire. Later that day, her commanding officer reported the incident and "I-44"′s withdrawal, but his message did not reach the commander-in-chief of the 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Miwa. On 1 March 1945, she reported her commanding officer's intention to move to the Okidaitōjima area in the Daitō Islands southeast of Okinawa, but after 6th Fleet headquarters asked her on 2 March 1945 to report her location and any success she had had against Allied ships, her reply on 3 March 1945 was a routine situation report which failed to provide the details the 6th Fleet had requested.
On 6 March 1945, the 6th Fleet cancelled all submarine operations in the Iwo Jima area, and "I-44" headed for Japan. She disembarked her "kaitens" and their pilots at Otsujima on 9 March and on 11 March she arrived at Kure, where Miwa relieved her commanding officer of command.
Second "kaiten" mission.
Between 26 and 29 March 1945, U.S. forces landed in the Kerama Islands southwest of Okinawa and captured advance bases in preparation for an invasion of Okinawa itself. On 27 March 1945, the "Tatara" "Kaiten" Group — which included "I-44" and the submarines , , and , each carrying six "kaitens" — was formed to attack Allied ships off Okinawa. On 1 April 1945, the Battle of Okinawa began with U.S. landings on the island, and on 3 April "I-44" received orders to get underway for Okinawan waters as part of the "Tatara" Group. She departed Otsujima on 4 April 1945 for her fifth war patrol and second "kaiten" mission, carrying the same four "kaiten" pilots as she had on the "Chihaya" Group deployment. On 21 April 1945, 6th Fleet headquarters ordered her to return to Japan, but she did not reply.
Loss.
"I-44" was lost sometime in April 1945, and the circumstances of her loss remain unknown. Some Japanese historians have concluded that a hunter-killer group made up of the light aircraft carrier and several destroyers sank "I-44" on 18 April 1945, but it is more likely that the submarine sunk in the action was "I-56".
On 29 April 1945, a TBM Avenger of U.S. Navy Composite Squadron 92 (VC-92) took off from the escort aircraft carrier southeast of Okinawa at 14:18. During the flight, the Avenger's crew sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface and dived on it from an altitude of . As the submarine crash-dived, the plane dropped a depth charge that exploded adjacent to the submarine's conning tower. On its next pass, the Avenger dropped a Mark 24 "Fido" acoustic homing torpedo which exploded against the submarine's hull, sinking it at . The submarine probably was "I-44".
On 2 May 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared "I-44" to be presumed lost in the Okinawa area with the loss of all 134 men aboard — 130 crewmen and four embarked "kaiten" pilots. She was stricken from the Navy list on 10 June 1945.


Michael Krawitz

Michael Krawitz is a US Air force veteran, Executive Director of the non-profit Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access and international advocate for Cannabis policy reform with FAAAT think & do tank.
Biography.
Krawitz has been involved in the United States, researching the traditions and historicity of cannabis in the country, as well as working to secure access and availability of medical cannabis for veterans, in particular with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and has extended its involvement at the international level since the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug situation in 1998.
Internationally he has been involved in the New-York NGO Committee on Drugs as Executive Committee member, and is a policy adviser of the international organization FAAAT think & do tank for his involvement around the World Health Organization and Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international scheduling of Cannabis, being instrumental in the efforts leading to the withdrawal of "cannabis and cannabis resin" from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention, in December 2020.</ref>
He is also working on the creation of Appellation of Origin and other intellectual property tools for traditional Cannabis products, both in the United States, participating as a board member of the Californian farmers organization Origins Council, and internationally as a registered observer to the World Intellectual Property Organization.


MS Gruziya

MS "Gruziya" was a Soviet passenger ship that was sunk by a German air raid in the Black Sea while she was travelling from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol with 4,000 troops and a cargo of ammunition on board.
Construction.
"Gruziya" was constructed in 1928 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft A. G. shipyard in Kiel, Germany. She was completed in 1929. The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . The ship was assessed at . She had two diesel engines driving two screw propellers and the engine was rated at 3,000 nhp.
Sinking.
On 13 June 1942, "Gruziya" was travelling from Novorossiysk, Russia to Sevastopol, Ukraine with 4,000 troops and a cargo of ammunition on board when she was spotted by German aircraft. She was sunk by the German air raid after one of the bombs exploded in the cargo room where all the ammunition were stored, the explosion that followed killed approx. 3,500 men and sank the ship in the blink of an eye. Only 500 men survived the ordeal and were rescued later.
Wreck.
The Soviets tried to salvage "Gruziya" in 1949, but after the wreck surfaced, the salvors found a large number of unexploded gas shells and bombs in her cargo hold which had not exploded when the ship sank seven years earlier. After deciding it was to dangerous to salvage the wreck, the salvors placed the wreck gently back on the sea floor.
However, the Soviets tried to salvage the wreck again in 1956 or 1960. But when she was being lifted to the surface, the ships weak structure after 14 years of exposure to the elements broke in two and sank to the seabed again. All attempt to salvage the ship and her cargo have been abandoned and her wreck and dangerous cargo still lay on the bottom of the Black Sea.


United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum


Bombing of Leipzig in World War II

During World War II, Leipzig was repeatedly attacked by British as well as American air raids. The most severe attack was launched by the Royal Air Force in the early hours of 4 December 1943 and claimed more than 1,800 lives. Large parts of the city center were destroyed, while factories experienced temporary shortfalls in production, had to move production facilities or even were decentralized.
At the outbreak of the war, Leipzig had more than 700,000 inhabitants and was therefore the sixth-largest city of the “Greater German Reich” (including Vienna). Leipzig additionally had significance by hosting the leading trade fair of the German Empire.
The Erla Maschinenwerk aircraft factory that produced Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter planes at the three locations of Heiterblick, Abtnaundorf and Mockau were important for warfare.
Additionally, Leipzig was an important railroad intersection in Germany at that time.
Attacks.
First attacks.
Prior to 1942, Leipzig had been considered relatively safe from potential aerial assaults because of the long flight route from Britain. But after the attack on Kassel on 22–23 October 1943, it became clear that British bombers were able to reach central Germany.
On 27 March 1943, bombs were dropped by British aircraft setting Gohlis on fire. In the night of 31 August to 1 September, the British RAF Bomber Command carried out minor attacks on the towns of Eutritzsch and Schönefeld causing four casualties.
4 December 1943.
During the night of 2 December 1943, the Royal Air Force once again attacked Berlin. Meanwhile, the German night fighters had prepared for these attacks and were able to shoot down 40 bombers. The following night, Leipzig was the target of an attack. The air route of this attack had been planned in a way to keep the German Air Defense in the dark about the attack's objective for as long as possible. Because the Germans did not expect an assault at this time, the Royal Air Force launched its attack in the early morning hours.
The route the bomber squadrons were following crossed over the continental coastline at the Zuiderzee, continued eastwards to Northern Germany and Berlin and turned southwards over the area of the city of Brandenburg. Between 3:50 a.m and 4:25 a.m., 442 bombers dropped a total amount of almost 1400 tons of explosives and fire bombs. At 3.39 a.m. the air raid warning had been raised, with the all-clear following at 5:39 a.m.
In the city centre, where the buildings were densely crowded, the air raid caused a firestorm. Hans Rumpf, the general inspector of fire fighting, happened to be in Leipzig during the attack. He said the firestorm was even more intense than the one in Hamburg during Operation Gomorrah.
Firefighters had to be called from the hinterland, as the firebrigade of Leipzig had had to send half of their own forces to Berlin. These external forces were often not able to fight the flames, because their hoses did not fit the custom-made connections to the hydrants in Leipzig, of which only 30% had been standardised. Moreover, the water supply broke down quickly.
More than 1800 people were killed in the attack. This is a small number for such a heavy attack, because many inhabitants did not follow the instruction to stay in the cellars until the all-clear was given, and so escaped the firestorm flames.
In the city centre many historical buildings fell victim to the attack, namely the Old and the New Theatre, the New Trade Exchange, the nave of St. John's Church (Johanniskirche), the Old Balance (Alte Waage), St. Matthew’s Church (Matthäikirche), the Museum of Fine Art, the Café Zimmermann (a favourite of J.S. Bach), and the Augusteum, the main building of the University. The roof truss of the Old Town Hall burned out; a concrete ceiling that had been installed at the beginning of the 20th century during a renovation prevented a burning out of the storeys below. As another consequence of the attack the destruction of 1,067 commercial buildings, 472 factory buildings, 56 schools, 29 fair buildings and 9 churches was recorded. 58 out of 92 departments of the University of Leipzig were hit and partially destroyed, including the first psychology laboratory, founded by Wilhelm Wundt.
20 February 1944.
During the so-called Big Week, Leipzig was one of the first targets that were attacked by British and American bombers. On 20 February 1944 between 3.15 am and 4.20 am residential areas in the south (Connewitz) as well as residential and industrial areas in the southwest of Leipzig (Schleußig and Großzschocher) were hit. During this night raid more than 700 bombers, which dropped about 2300 tons of bombs, were used. In the afternoon of the same day, more than 200 bombers of the 8th US Air Force attacked industrial facilities in the northeast of the city, using about 700 tons of bombs. Amongst others, the (second) Gewandhaus (concert hall) was almost totally destroyed as a result of the attacks[12].
In total, about 970 people died, most of them during the British night raid. During the following day raid some of the bombed factories were damaged severely, e.g. 65% of the “Erla Maschinenwerk” in Heiterblick was destroyed. In May 1944 its production had not entirely recovered yet, while the other bombed factories were working at full capacity again[13].
Later.
In May 1944 more than 15,000 buildings were hit. Among them, more than 4,000 were destroyed completely, more than 1,000 heavily and over 10,000 slightly damaged. According to a preliminary official report from 30 December 1944, the regions which were mainly hit were the ring around the inner city, the directly adjacent areas to the west, north and east, as well as all the southern suburbs. The adjacent areas to the north and east were slightly affected, whereas no damage occurred in the outer west, southwest and northwest. About 140,000 people were left homeless.
On 23 February 1945 Leipzig received two major bombings: one by the British, and another by the Americans.


RAF Martlesham Heath

Royal Air Force Station Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of Airborne Interception radar.
History.
RFC/RAF prewar use.
Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I. In 1917 it became home to the Aeroplane Experimental Unit, RFC which moved from Upavon with the site named as the Aeroplane Experimental Station which became the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) in 1924. The A&AEE carried the evaluation and testing of many of the aircraft types and much of the armament and other equipment that would later be used during World War II.
No. 22 Squadron RAF and No. 15 Squadron RAF were present during the 1920s. No. 64 arrived in the 1930s.
RAF Fighter Command use.
The A&AEE moved to RAF Boscombe Down on 9 September 1939 at the outbreak of World War II and Martlesham then became the most northerly station of No. 11 Group RAF, Fighter Command. Squadrons of Bristol Blenheim bombers, Hawker Hurricanes, Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Typhoons operated from this airfield, and among the many pilots based there were such famous men as Robert Stanford Tuck, and Squadron Leader Douglas Bader, there as Commanding Officer of 242 Squadron. Ian Smith, the post-war Rhodesian prime minister, was at Martlesham for a time.
During the Battle of Britain, Anti-Aircraft (AA) defence for the area was the responsibility of the Harwich Gun Defence Area (GDA), manned by 99th (London Welsh) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The GDA's main focus was on the Port of Harwich, and in July 1940 there were almost daily attacks on shipping off the East Coast, but 302 Heavy AA Battery also had a detachment stationed at Martlesham. The "Luftwaffe" began its offensive against RAF Fighter Command airfields in August.
On 15 August the experimental Fighter-bomber unit "Erprobungsgruppe 210" attacked RAF Martlesham Heath and a neighbouring signal station. The Hurricanes of No. 17 Squadron stationed at Martlesham were some out to sea looking for the raid among the many traces being plotted by the radar stations. The raiders (nearly 40 mixed ground attack aircraft with fighter escort) slipped through and spent five minutes over the target, bombing and Strafing, while the HAA gun detachment got off five rounds of Shrapnel shell, which was all they had to use against low-level attack. The raiders then got away without loss, despite being engaged by the Harwich AA guns while withdrawing. The equivalent of seven Fighter Command squadrons had been ordered to intercept, but only a few reached Martlesham as the attackers were leaving. The damage to the airfield was extensive and took a full day to repair.
On 27 October 1940 another daylight raid was made on Martlesham by about 40 Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter-bombers, which were engaged by the HAA guns on their way in and out. 99th HAA Regiment claimed that the raiders were disrupted by the fire, and the bomb damage was slight.
No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron a squadron formed of American volunteers operated from the station in the middle and end of 1941.
USAAF use.
In 1943, Martlesham Heath became one of a group of grass-surfaced airfields earmarked for use by fighters of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force. The airfield was assigned USAAF designation Station 369.
356th Fighter Group.
The airfield was opened in May 1943 and was first used by the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force 356th Fighter Group, arriving from RAF Goxhill on 5 October 1943. The group was under the command of the 67th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command. Aircraft of the 356th were identified by a magenta/blue diamond pattern around their cowling.
The group consisted of the following squadrons:
The 356th FG served in combat from October 1943, participating in operations that prepared for the invasion of the Continent, and supporting the landings in Normandy and the subsequent Allied drive across France and Germany.
The group flew Republic P-47 Thunderbolts until they were replaced by North American P-51 Mustangs in November 1944. From October 1943 until January 1944, they operated as escort for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress/Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked such objectives as industrial areas, missile sites, airfields, and communications.
Fighters from the 356th engaged primarily in bombing and strafing missions after 3 January 1944, with its targets including U-boat installations, barges, shipyards, aerodromes, hangars, marshalling yards, locomotives, trucks, oil facilities, flak towers, and radar stations. Bombed and strafed in the Arnhem area on 17, 18, and 23 September 1944 to neutralize enemy gun emplacements, and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for this contribution to the airborne attack on the Netherlands.
The group flew its last combat mission, escorting B-17's dropping propaganda leaflets, on 7 May 1945. It returned to Camp Kilmer New Jersey and was inactivated on 10 November 1945.
Postwar RAF Fighter Command use.
With the departure of the USAAF, the airfield reverted to the RAF. In the immediate postwar years, Fighter Command squadrons were in residence at Martlesham but the proximity to Ipswich and the physical limitations on lengthening the runways restricted jet operation. In an effort to improve the station the main runway was extended in 1955.
Early in 1946, the Bomb Ballistics and Blind Landing Unit moved in which, in 1950, was rechristened the Armament and Instrument Experimental Unit (A&IEU) remaining at Martlesham until disbanding in 1957.
An RAF Police flight had also occupied the station from 1951–1953. The following year, the A&IEU was disbanded and the station was retained in reserve status during which time an Air Sea Rescue helicopter unit was in residence.
In 1958, another Reserve Flight arrived and a Station HQ formed; No. 11 Group Communications flight moved in to be followed by HO No. 11 Group. These units were deactivated by the end of 1960. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight moved to the airfield in 1958 and left in 1961. After this the airfield reverted to care and maintenance status before the Air Ministry closed the facility on 25 April 1963.
The USAF Radio Relay Station & R/T Exchange
In 1961 the US 3rd Air Force set up a radio signal station near the south-west corner of the airfield, just within Kesgrave parish, officially also called "Martlesham Heath". It relayed radio communication between the USAF and other US bases in the USA, Iceland, and the UK on the one hand, and Germany and Italy on the other. It linked via SHF voice and morse radio to Hillingdon, West London, and via large UHF tropo-scatter dishes to the ballistic early warning base at Fylingdales (Yorkshire), Flobecq (Belgium) and the Hook of Holland. Eventually, with additional capacity in mind, it acquired six steel masts. Its personnel were supplied from the nearby Bentwaters airbase. From 1966 its main building housed one of the two "AUTOVON" (US radio telephone automatic exchanges) in the UK. Between 1988 and 1990 it progressively shut down, though the buildings and 3 masts remain.
(Sources: 2130 & 2164 Comms Sq. Record Books at US Air Force Maxwell base; US Technical Defense Information Center website online Honeywell tropo-scatter studies; UK Home Office radio frequency records at UK National Archive; East Suffolk Aviation Society websites, including USAF veterans'contributions; East Anglian Daily Times).
Current use.
With the end of military control, Martlesham Heath has now become an industrial and dormitory satellite of Ipswich and the four prewar hangars and technical site buildings are now used for light industry and storage.
Nearby, on the old RAF parade ground, stands a memorial erected to the memory of those members of the 356th Fighter Group who lost their lives in World War II.
Part of the site of the airfield now contains the main headquarters building of the Suffolk Constabulary. The control tower from the airfield is maintained as a museum.
In July 2017, a commemorative stone was unveiled on the village green outside the Douglas Bader public house. During the event, a Hurricane and Spitfire flew over the crowd to music by Vera Lynn.


Airtours International Airways


Ludwig Beckmann

Ludwig "Lutz" Beckmann (26 October 1895 – 20 January 1965) was a German Luftstreitkräfte ace during World War I and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Ludwig Beckmann claimed eight aerial victories during World War I all on the Western Front.
Beckmann joined Jagdstaffel 6 in December 1917. On 21 February 1918, he transferred to Jagdstaffel 48. He transferred once again, to Jagdstaffel 56, on 11 March 1918. Two days later, he scored his first aerial victory. He would score eight confirmed victories before war's end.
Beckmann commanded a special transport unit, IV/TG1, during World War II. He flew over 200 air bridge sorties into besieged Demjansk, Russia with this unit. He also commanded a Junkers 52 unit, KGr zbV 500.


The Metal Airscrew Company

The Metal Airscrew Company was formed in 1919 by Dr Henry Charles Watts and Henry Leitner to produce hollow metal aircraft propellers with a method set out their joint patent. By 1928 the company name had changed to Metal Propellers Ltd. It remained active until at least 1930.
History.
The Leitner-Watts propellers were amongst the earliest with a thick metal aerodynamic profile. Watts was the aerodynamicist who determined the blade profile, Leitner the engineer who translated it into metal and designed hubs for two, three and four bladed propellers. The blades were produced in the Rubery Owen factory in Darlaston, Staffordshire. Each blade side or shell was made up from three laminations of steel sheet, shaped in a press. The outer layer formed the complete shell shape and the progressively shorter, Y-shaped inner laminations strengthened the bade towards the root. The laminations were riveted or spot-welded together and the two shells welded together at their edges. To stiffen the blade, small shouldered cylindrical struts were then inserted through the face and externally soldered at each end. The hubs allowed easy ground adjustment of pitch to any angle; if one blade was damaged, it could easily be replaced.
These early metal propellers were ground tested at RAE Farnborough then test flown on a Bristol Tourer seaplane. In 1922 they were fitted to the Napier Lion engine of the de Havilland DH.18 airliner.
At an extraordinary general meeting on 28 January 1926 the company decided that it should be wound up voluntarily and they appointed a liquidator. In January 1927 a final general meeting was called to receive the liquidators report and close the company.
Around 1928, the company reformed as Metal Propellers Ltd, with board members who also had positions with Saunders-Roe, Spartan Aircraft Ltd and British Airways. Watts remained as chief designer from 1925-7 but moved to The Airscrew Company in 1932. Metal Propellers continued to advertise until at least December 1930.
Metal Propellers Ltd were still sending apprentices to Saunders-Roe on the Isle of Wight for an initial training year in the mid 1950s


List of defunct airlines of Croatia

This is a list of defunct airlines of Croatia.


4050th Air Refueling Wing


List of defunct airlines of Slovenia

This is a list of defunct airlines of Slovenia.


TrueBlue

TrueBlue is the frequent-flyer program of JetBlue that offers points to passengers traveling on most fare types, as well as to consumers who utilize JetBlue co-branded credit cards.
History.
In 2008, JetBlue launched TrueBlue, its very own loyalty program. Under the original TrueBlue program, flights were worth two, four, or six points based on distance of the flights, and double points were awarded for flights booked online.
In September 2009, JetBlue made changes to its TrueBlue program. In the new program, members receive three points for every dollar spent toward a flight, excluding taxes and fees, plus an additional three points for every dollar spent on a flight if booked online directly on the JetBlue.com website. Additional points are awarded if the member uses the Barclay's issued JetBlue Mastercard credit card to purchase the flight. The price of flights in points depend on the fare of the flight in U.S. dollars.
The new program launched on November 9, 2009.
In June 2013, JetBlue announced that TrueBlue points will never expire for any reason.
Partnership.
JetBlue rewards program offers partnerships with the following companies with partnerships to accumulate points.
Airlines.
The following airlines partner with jetBlue TrueBlue to allow their customers to accumulate points from their airlines.
Mosaic.
TrueBlue Mosaic is a top tier Loyalty Program within TrueBlue Operations. To have Mosaic Status, customers have to meet either two measures. One measure customers need 15,000 points, the other measure customers need 30 flight segments along with 12,000 points, all within a calendar year.
The benefits include the first to board, 1st and 2nd checked bags are free, and it own dedicated customer service line.


DTA Diva

The DTA Diva is a French double-surface ultralight trike wing, designed and produced by DTA sarl of Montélimar and introduced in 2009. The wing is widely used on DTA trikes as well as by other ultralight aircraft manufacturers.
Design and development.
The Diva is a cable-braced, king post-equipped hang glider-style wing designed as a touring wing for two-place trikes. It comes in one size with a wing area of . The wing is comparatively small in area, which gives a higher cruise speed at the cost of a higher stall speed.
The wing is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its 84% double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. The wing's crosstube is of a floating design. Its span wing has a nose angle of 130°, an aspect ratio of 5.2:1 and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The wing tips feature small winglets. It is manufactured by DTA's subcontractor, La société Ellipse.


United Center

United Center (The UC, The Madhouse on Madison) is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines, which is based in Chicago, since 2007, and also has a hub at O'Hare International Airport, also located in Chicago. With a capacity of nearly 21,000, the United Center is the largest arena by capacity in the National Basketball Association, and largest arena by capacity in the United States in the National Hockey League.
Opened in 1994, the United Center replaced the Chicago Stadium, its now demolished predecessor. The first event held at the United Center was WWF Summerslam. Due to the lockout, the Chicago Blackhawks did not move in until January 1995. In 1996, the United Center hosted the 1996 Democratic National Convention, where it first introduced a new style four-screen speech prompting system for speakers consisting of two glass teleprompters, accompanied by an inset lectern monitor, and for the first time, a large under-camera confidence monitor.
The arena is home to an iconic statue of Michael Jordan built in 1994. Originally located outside the arena, it now stands inside an atrium which was added in 2017. The statue has since been joined by statues of Blackhawks legends Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, while a statue of various Blackhawks players is located across the street, on the site of Chicago Stadium.
Arena Information.
The Bulls and Blackhawks own and operate United Center through a 50/50 partnership, the United Center Joint Venture (UCJV). It covers on a 46-acre (19 ha) parcel, west of the Chicago Loop. The arena is the largest in the United States in size, though not in capacity. Its exterior bears a striking resemblance to that of Chicago Stadium. It seats 19,717 for hockey, 20,917 for basketball and up to 23,500 for concerts. The United Center hosts over 200 events per year and has drawn over 20 million visitors since its opening. Attendance routinely exceeds seating capacity for Bulls and Blackhawks games.
United Center's acoustics were designed to amplify noise to replicate "The Roar" – the din that made Chicago Stadium famous, especially during hockey games. During hockey season, the Blackhawks use an Allen Organ that is a replica of the old arena's famous Barton organ. Recreating the old organ's notes took two years.
The building is tall, and cost $175 million to build, from concrete and 3,500 tons of steel. While the Blackhawks and Bulls had long planned another arena, an inflated real estate market and the early 1990s recession delayed the project until financing was secured from an international syndicate, with funding by banks from Japan, Australia and France. Originally having 216 luxury sky-boxes, as of the 2009–10 renovation the arena has 169 executive suites on three levels.
Both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls play their home games at the arena with some of them on back to back nights. The hardwood floor for the Bulls games is laid over the ice that the Blackhawks play on. The flooring is assembled like a puzzle and taken apart when the Blackhawks have a game.
Events.
Sports.
In addition to 82 Bulls and Blackhawks games each year, United Center has hosted other sporting events such as University of Illinois basketball, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament (from the first tournament in 1998 to 2001, then in odd-numbered years from 2003 to 2007 and again in 2013 and 2015), the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament (hosted four times, including 2011), the Roundball Classic, and the Great Eight Classic.
The arena was the Bulls' home during their second run of three consecutive championships, hosting the , , and 1998 NBA Finals. The Bulls won the 1996 and 1997 series in the sixth game at home, but won the 1998 series at the Delta Center, now known as Vivint Arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
United Center was also the site of the World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view SummerSlam in 1994—the first major event held inside the building, and also the only major event held in the building by WWE. It also hosted the last of WCW's annual Spring Stampede pay-per-view in 2000. On March 3, 2018, WWE returned to United Center for the first time in over 20 years with a Road To WrestleMania House show.
The arena has hosted the Stanley Cup Finals three times: in , , and . The Blackhawks won the first two Stanley Cups on the ice of their opponent in the sixth game of the series (Philadelphia's Wachovia Center in 2010 and Boston's TD Garden in 2013). However, they won the 2015 series against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home in the sixth game, the first time since 1938 the Hawks clinched the Cup in Chicago.
On the weekend of March 5–6, 2011, the Professional Bull Riders made their Built Ford Tough Series debut at the United Center. It was their third Chicago-area visit, having previously visited Rosemont's Allstate Arena in 2006 and 2008. The event at the United Center presented a unique scenario as instead of dirt, white crushed stone was used to cover the arena floor.
The Illinois State High School Hockey Championships are hosted at the United Center yearly for the Blackhawk Cup.
On January 28, 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first nationally televised event at the arena: UFC on Fox. UFC on Fox 2 was the UFC's 2nd live prime-time event on Fox. The headlining fight was former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, with Evans winning by unanimous decision. The UFC announced in mid-January 2015 that the United Center would be host of UFC on Fox 16. The United Center also hosted in 2013 and in 2014.
On October 13, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.
On June 9, 2018, United Center hosted UFC 225 which was its first PPV event.
In September 2018, the United Center hosted the second edition of the Laver Cup. The tennis competition will feature Team Europe vs. Team World.
In 2020, it hosted the NBA All-Star Game.
On March 25, 2021, the United Center became Chicago's logistical hub to support Chicago's efforts against COVID-19.
Entertainment.
With a seating capacity of 23,500 for concerts, United Center has been a home to many concert performances. The first was Billy Joel, who stated the “...acoustics could use some work..” New Kids on the Block, Prince, Adele, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kanye West, Madonna, U2, Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Sir Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, The Who, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and Lady Gaga have all had sold-out shows for their concerts in this arena, as well as Dave Matthews Band, who released its 1998 show at the venue, entitled Live in Chicago 12.19.98 at the United Center.
United Center has also provided a Chicago home for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (last performance was 2016, and they permanently shut down on May 21, 2017) and Disney on Ice, which occur once per year; the Bulls and Blackhawks have a tradition of taking a two-week road trip when the circus is in town. After Ringling left Chicago for one final time in November 2016, the Bulls and Blackhawks allowed Ringling's sister production Disney on Ice to perform its last two-week show in February 2017, before being condensed to a one-week period effective February 2018.
On August 29, 1994, the newly opened United Center was home to the seventh annual WWF Summerslam Pay-Per-View event. Aired Live, attendance was at 23,000.
On May 17, 2011, Oprah "The Farewell Season: Oprah's Surprise Spectacular" was taped at the United Center. The program aired on television on May 23 and 24, 2011. Pictures from the event are displayed inside the arena entrance on the wall of Gate 4.
Political events.
United Center was also the venue of the 1996 Democratic National Convention, where the Democratic Party nominated as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Al Gore, the incumbent holders of the respective offices, who would be re-elected as a result of the general election held that November.
Renovations.
300 Level.
New for the 2009–10 season, United Center's 300 Level features a renovated concourse with 144 flat screen televisions, new food and beverage stations above select seating sections and two new bars that open up to panoramic views of the arena. During the 2010 off-season, two additional bars with panoramic views of the arena were added along with the other two. After the 2012–13 season, a third panoramic LED bar was installed around the 300 level, replacing the famous "Welcome To The Madhouse" signs.
United Center includes:
Hardwood floor.
A new court was added to the UC for the 2015–16 season and includes multiple changes. The iconic bull head logo at center court has increased in size by 75% and the image of a basketball that was previously behind the logo has been removed. The “CHICAGO BULLS” text on the endlines has been changed to the font used in the official Bulls logo to make the court design more consistent with the Bulls brand, and the same font has been applied to the “Bulls.com” and the “@ChicagoBulls” text on the north apron of the court. The lines on the court have been changed from red and white to all black to emphasize the bold colors of the Bulls brand. The four stars from the City of Chicago flag have been added to the south apron of the court to highlight the team's civic pride and incorporate the “Chicago Basketball” branding campaign.
Scoreboard.
In 2019, a new state of the art scoreboard was added to United Center. The scoreboard is currently the largest scoreboard in the NHL and NBA. It has a display with kinetic movement with six independent panels, a first-of-its-kind continuous inner ring display and new audio speakers and lighting.
Banners.
The following banners hang from the rafters of United Center honoring past and present Bulls and Blackhawks.
Bulls.
Championship banners
Blackhawks.
Championship banners
Statues.
Several statues of Bulls and Blackhawks greats exist inside and around the outside of the stadium.
The most noteworthy being the Michael Jordan Statue, also known as "The Spirit", on the east side of the arena in an atrium outside gate four. Originally installed in 1994, during Jordan's first retirement and just after the stadium's opening, the statue features Jordan mid-dunk over an opposing player, with his tenures with the Bulls and career stats engraved on the bottom.
In 2000, in honor of the team's 75th anniversary, a statue of various Blackhawks greats from different eras, along with the franchise's Indian head logo, was erected on the north side of the stadium across Madison Street, near the former Chicago Stadium site. The back of the statue features the names of all Blackhawks players up to that point, along with a marble plaque commemorating Chicago Stadium.
Blackhawks legends Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita received bronze statues in their honor outside of the United Center during the 2011–12 NHL season.
In 2011, a bronze bust of Bulls Great Scottie Pippen was dedicated in the stadium's first floor concourse.
Sponsorship.
United Airlines paid about $1.8 million per year until 2014 for its naming rights. United merged with Continental Airlines in October 2010, retaining Continental's logo and corporate look. The arena continued to use United's tulip logo for the duration of the 2010–11 season. For the 2011–12 season, all the previous United signs were replaced with the globe logo. Two new lit signs on the east and west ends of the arena saying "United Center" with the United globe in the middle were revealed below the upper level suites complementing the former "Madhouse" signs on the north and south sides.
In December 2013, it was announced that an agreement had been reached to keep United's naming rights for the arena for another 20 years. The United Center will see a series of updates and upgrades to the interior and exterior of the building. New signage, additional LED boards, and other elements have been added after reaching this agreement. LED screens have been installed on the north side of the arena along with a panoramic LED board on the 300 level, eliminating the "Welcome To The Madhouse" sign.
Anheuser-Busch has also established a sponsorship. They are partners with both the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks and have gained rights to signage inside the arena along with a pub.


Verville Aircraft Company

The Verville Aircraft Company was a Detroit, Michigan based manufacturer of small airplanes and flying boats, which became bankrupt during the Great Depression. Alfred V. Verville started the corporation after working for multiple aviation companies. An innovative corporation, it could not survive the difficult financial crisis of the early 1930s.
The Verville Aircraft Company was located at 4815 Cabot Street, Detroit, Michigan, occupying the former Rickenbacker plant. Verville Aircraft was organized by Walter Briggs, Sr.,
president and chairman of Briggs Manufacturing Company. Barney Everett (Everitt) served as the president of the company. The treasurer was S. E. Poole.
First Airplane.
The first dedicated passenger plane that Verville Aircraft produced was the Verville Air Coach.
After being acquired by Briggs, the manufacturer produced a light plane followed by the construction of two others.
The following designers worked for Verville Aircraft:
Insolvency.
A judge in the chancery court in Wilmington, Delaware appointed a receiver for the firm in December 1931.


Counter-air patrol

Counter-air patrol, known as Flower missions in RAF parlance, is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft against other fighters, common in World War II and sometimes combined with "fighter sweeps" (Rhubarb missions) against targets of opportunity. Counter-air patrol is an attempt to achieve air superiority by maintaining patrols above and around enemy airfields.
Aircraft are vulnerable on take off, fully loaded and working to gain altitude and speed. The aim of the counter-air patrol was to pick off enemy fighters as they took off and during their climb to an operational height. Fighter sweeps were used both to attrit the enemy and to provide cover for bombing raids by forcing enemy fighters to protect their own airfields.


List of defunct airlines of Ecuador

This is a list of defunct airlines of Ecuador.


List of airlines of Seychelles

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Seychelles:


Mezzeh Military Airport

Mezzeh Military Airport (also spelled "Mazzeh") is a Syrian Air Force military air base located in Mezzeh, Damascus, Syria, south-west of the old centre of Damascus. It has one runway of 8258 ft length, at elevation 2407 ft. In mid-2013 the airport was described by the BBC as "an important strategic installation [which] plays a significant role in distributing the government's military supplies." Reuters reported in mid-2013 that it was "used by Syria's elite Republican Guards, Special Forces and Air Force Intelligence, [and] also serves as a private airport for the Assad family." It also said that during the Syrian civil war the base was "used to fire rockets and artillery at rebellious Sunni Muslim neighbourhoods on the edge of the capital."
The location of the Mezzeh military airport has also been used by the Syrian regime as a jail to imprison opponents during the Syrian civil war. Various inquiries and investigations reported that acts of tortures and possible war crimes were committed in the jails of Mezzeh military airport.
History.
During World War II Mazzeh airport was a military base for the Vichy French airforce, which also permitted Germany to use its bases. On 19 May 1941, British aircraft attacked the airport, destroying some modern Potez 63 aircraft as well some older Potez 25 biplanes.
After Syrian independence in 1946, Mazzeh became a base for the Syrian Air Force. "By the end of 1957 the SAF had two operational MiG-17 squadrons defending the capital from their base at al-Mezze near Damascus." In 1966 it became also the Defense Companies Headquarter.
The airport was subject to an attack that was blamed on Israel by Syrian authorities on January 13, 2017.


SLAF Ekala

SLAF "Ekala" is the Sri Lanka Air Force station in Ekala. It is the primary training centre for all Sri Lanka Air Force specialist airmen trades, to this end the station is home to the Advanced & Specialized Trade Training School (A & S TTS). It is also the home of the office of Chief Recruiting Officer, who is responsible for recruiting Officers and others ranks to the SLAF.
The base was established by the RAF and was later handed over to RCyAF. It was the first RCyAF detachment to come under hostile attack on the 5 April 1971 at the outset of the JVP Insurrection. That same year an Electronics & telecommunications Maintenance Unit was opened at the base, responsible for installation and maintenance of airborne & ground radio systems, telecommunications & landline equipment, air traffic communications, radio navigational aids and other electronic apparatus in the RCyAF. It operatied on a three-pronged basis – Technical Wing, Administrative Squadron and Landline Flight. This Unit also trained personnel, and provided signals detachments at RCyAF formations. This was later shifted to SLAF Ratmalana and renamed as Electronics & Telecommunications Wing. In 1993, the Advanced and Specialised Trade Training School was relocated to SLAF Ekala from SLAF Katunayake.


George P. Taylor

Lieutenant General George Peach Taylor Jr. USAF (Ret.) (born 1953) was the 18th Surgeon General of the United States Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Taylor served as the senior Air Force officer responsible for comprehensive management of the Air Force Medical Service. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, on matters pertaining to the medical aspects of the air expeditionary force and the health care of 2.6 million Air Force beneficiaries. The Surgeon General has authority to commit resources for the Air Force Medical Service, to make decisions affecting the delivery of medical services, and to develop plans, programs and procedures to support worldwide medical service missions. The Surgeon General exercises direction, guidance and technical management of more than 42,000 people assigned to 74 medical treatment facilities worldwide. From September 7, 2010 – December 22, 2010 he served as the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
General Taylor was born in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Rice University with degrees in physics and Russian language. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve through the Health Professions Scholarship Program. Following his graduation from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and subsequent internship in Greenville, South Carolina, General Taylor entered active duty in 1979.
General Taylor was a chief flight surgeon and board certified in aerospace medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He served as a flight surgeon in a series of flight test and fighter assignments and was the commander of the Air Force hospital at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. General Taylor was the Command Surgeon with U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he served as the TRICARE Regional Director for Europe for one year. In addition, he was the Air Force Surgeon during operations Allied Force and Shining Hope in the Balkans. He served as the Command Surgeon for Air Combat Command where he molded the Air Force medical support for the response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and for Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom. General Taylor chaired the medical portion of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, which resulted in the creation of a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a new San Antonio military medical system, a joint medical education and training complex, and joint biomedical research centers.


729th Air Control Squadron

The 729th Air Control Squadron is a Control and Reporting Center (CRC) assigned to the 552d Air Control Group, 552d Air Control Wing. The 729th's mission is focused around providing air control (radar) services for combat air operations. Officially, the 729th provides a mobile, combat-rated, senior radar element of the Theater Air Control System for worldwide contingencies. Additionally the 729th provides combat and control of joint air operations by conducting surveillance identification, weapons control, Battle Management and theater communications data link.
The squadron provides the theater Air Force commander a rapid reaction mobile air control system and control and reporting center during worldwide contingencies. It also provides command and control of joint air operations through surveillance, identification, weapons control, theater missile defense, battle management and theater communications data links.
Emblem.
Description/Blazon.
On a disc Azure, a target of two concentric circles and crosshairs Argent, charged with a delta flight symbol point to dexter chief Or, overall a bull couped at the neck Sable, horned and detailed of the second, horns and eye embellished Gules, emitting from the nostrils two lightning bolts of the like; all within a narrow Black border.
Attached above the disc, a Yellow scroll edged with a narrow Black border and inscribed "BEST IN THE FIELD" in Black letters.
Attached below the disc, a Yellow scroll edged with a narrow Black border and inscribed "729TH AIR CONTROL SQ" in Black letters.
Emblem significance.
Ultramarine blue and Air Force yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The bull symbolizes the strength, stamina, and durability of the squadron. The smoke snorts as lightning bolts represent the electronic control and surveillance of the skies provided by the squadron. The stylized aircraft symbolizes the strength of airpower and with the radar scope/target signifies the squadron's worldwide capability for deployment.


Split S

The Split S is an air combat maneuver mostly used to disengage from combat. To execute a Split S, the pilot half-rolls their aircraft inverted and executes a descending half-loop, resulting in level flight in the opposite direction at a lower altitude.
Description.
The Split S is taught to be used in dogfighting when the pilot has the opportunity to withdraw from battle. It can be an effective tactic to prevent an enemy behind (between four o'clock and eight o'clock positions) from gaining a missile lock-on while one is disengaging from a fight.
The Split S is contrasted with the Immelmann turn, which is an ascending half-loop that finishes with a half-roll out, resulting in level flight in the opposite direction at a higher altitude. The Split S is also called a reversed Immelmann turn and can also be written with a hyphen: Split-S. In basic terms, the Immelmann and Split S are very similar, both accomplishing the same reversal in course, but the Split S exchanges altitude to gain speed, while the Immelmann turn exchanges speed to gain altitude.
The Split S, being a descending maneuver, means that the pilot must ensure that it is started high enough to complete the half-loop; the exact minimum altitude depends on factors like the aircraft's speed, weight and maneuverability, likewise the terrain below the plane. Misjudgements can arise from a lack of situational awareness or from an error in reading instruments.
The reasons for starting the Split S maneuver from the inverted position include the fact that people tolerate acceleration ("g-force") applied from head to feet several times better than the reverse direction, as much as 9g versus 3g. Most combat aircraft frames are also designed to pull more Gs in their positive aspects (upward to the aircraft), rather than negative (downward to the aircraft). A much tighter maneuver is therefore possible with the half roll.
The Split S without a beginning half-roll was a standard maneuver in early World War II by German pilots seeking to evade British fighters. The Merlin engine used in British fighters was carburetted, and the float valves would malfunction under negative g-force leading to reduced power or a stalled engine (The German fighters were not subject to this problem since they used fuel injection). This could be prevented by rolling the aircraft before starting the dive, but doing so took up enough time to give the German pilots an excellent chance of escaping. The beginnings of a solution was provided by "Miss Shilling's orifice", a fuel-flow restriction device, and was finally solved by changing from the original S.U. carburettors to Bendix-Stromberg pressure carburettors, and later to S.U. injection carburettors.


Jet Maintenance Solutions

Jet Maintenance Solutions (Jet MS) is a Lithuanian aviation maintenance and repair company. The company was founded in 2007 and is a part of Avia Solutions Group – a global aerospace business group with 83 offices and production sites around the world. It employs over 7 000 professionals of aviation and other industries and serves more than 2 000 clients across 5 continents.
Jet Maintenance Solutions is considered as one of the leading players in the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) market for narrow-body aircraft.
Serviced aircraft.
The Jet MS is EASA Part-145 certified and provides line and base maintenance for the following aircraft types:


Ken Lee (RAF officer)

Kenneth Norman Thomson Lee (23 June 191515 January 2008) was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He flew with 501 Squadron in the Battle of France where he shot down five German bombers to become an ace. On 18 August, he was one of four Hurricane pilots shot down by Gerhard Schöpfel.


Frank Thring

Francis William Thring (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred in Hollywood film, where he became best known for roles in "Ben-Hur" in 1959 and "King of Kings" in 1961. He was known for always wearing black and styling his home in black decor, and for his friendship with the renowned WAAF Heather Priest.
Early life.
Thring was born in Melbourne. Although sometimes referred to as Frank Thring Jr., he was actually Francis William Thring (or William Francis Thring) IV. His forbears were Francis William Thring - 1812-1887, Francis William Thring (known as William Thring) - 1858-1920; William Frank Thring (known as Francis William Thring or F.W. Thring) - 1882-1936. Thring was the son of F.W. Thring and Olive (née Kreitmeyer), and was educated at the Melbourne Grammar School. His father was the head of the theatrical firm J. C. Williamson's in the 1920s, and subsequently founded the theatre film production studio Efftee Studios in the 1930s, in Melbourne, Australia. He has been anachronistically claimed to have been the inventor of the clapperboard. Thring Sr. was also a noted film producer ("The Sentimental Bloke"), and partner in the nationwide Australian theatre circuit Hoyts. Thring Sr. died in July 1936 at the age of 53, when Frank Jnr was 10 years old. Frank said his earliest memory is of his mother standing on a stepladder in the foyer of the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, and arranging gladioli in the vases attached to the pillars.
Career.
His career spanned more than 45 years, much of it spent alternating between stage, film and television. Perhaps his most famous role was that of Pontius Pilate in "Ben-Hur" (1959).
Radio.
Thring's family operated Melbourne radio station 3XY, from the opening of the station in 1935. He commenced working at 3XY as both a thespian and radio announcer in 1941, as a young man of 15. His numerous jobs at the microphone included being "Uncle Frankie" in the children's session.
Stage.
He began acting in professional stage roles after his discharge from the Royal Australian Air Force in 1945. He made his British theatrical debut performing as Herod in Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" in 1954. Two years later, he played Sir Lancelot Spratt in "Doctor in the House", which ran for 240 performances at the Victoria Palace in London.
He was Saturninus in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre production of "Titus Andronicus" with Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Anthony Quayle. He also played Captain Hook opposite Peggy Cummins' Peter Pan. Among his other acclaimed stage roles were George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man", Captain Ahab in Orson Welles's "Moby-Dick", Falstaff in "Henry IV, Part 1", and Bertolt Brecht's "Life of Galileo". Another stage role was in the musical "Robert and Elizabeth" opposite June Bronhill and Denis Quilley.
Later in life he returned to the stage playing the butlers in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" in 1988. His final stage appearance was in "Humorists Read the Humorists" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1992.
Film.
Thring first appeared on screen as a child in the 1932 Australian film "The Sentimental Bloke", directed by his father F.W. Thring. One of Thring's most well-known screen roles was as Pontius Pilate in "Ben Hur" (1959). He also appeared as Al-Kadir, Emir of Valencia in "El Cid" (1961). Thring was also awarded the Erik Kuttner Award for Acting (1965). In addition to these roles, Thring played a barrister in "The Case of Mrs. Loring" (1958), the usurping king Aella (Ælla of Northumbria) in "The Vikings" (1958) and Herod Antipas in "King of Kings" (1961). Thring is the only actor to portray on film both of the historical figures directly responsible for authorizing the crucifixion of Christ according to the Gospels. He played numerous glowering bad guys in Hollywood epics of the 1950s and 1960s.
Back in Australia, he starred opposite James Mason and a young Helen Mirren in Michael Powell's film "Age of Consent" (1969), and appeared in two biographical films about famous bushrangers: "Ned Kelly" (1970) and "Mad Dog Morgan" (1976). He played suave gangsters in "Alvin Rides Again" (1974) and "The Man from Hong Kong" (1975). In his later years, his screen roles included the devilish Collector in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" (1985), and a comedic role as an Alfred Hitchcock-like film director in the horror movie spoof, "Howling III" (1987).
Television.
Thring's television credits include the Australian miniseries "Against the Wind" and "Bodyline". He was also the recurring villain Doctor Stark who would use mischievous means in attempts to steal Skippy and other animals out of Waratah National Park in several episodes of "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo".
He also acted in commercials, particularly one in which he would glare at the camera saying "You do have your television licence. Don't you?".
He had the lead roles in the 1959 ABC TV play "Treason", and the 1962 ABC play "Light Me A Lucifer".
Personal life.
Off-screen, Thring was known for his flamboyant, often waspish, persona. He was featured in numerous TV commercials and guest-starring roles on popular weekly series, variety programs and quiz shows, often dressed in black funereal attire and other sinister costumes. However, his acting career was interrupted by bouts of alcoholism and periods of ill health. The interior of his house was featured in an Australian TV program and the walls were also black.
Thring was appointed 1982 "King of Moomba", "this doyenne [sic] of film and theatre looked nothing short of majestic in his regal garb and riding on a thespian-inspired float".
Thring was briefly married to actress Joan Cunliffe during the 1950s. The marriage ended in divorce. Joan lived in London, and was manager of both Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn. Thring was flamboyantly gay, but he wanted children and was greatly distressed when his marriage ended without issue.
In 1994, Thring died from oesophageal cancer, aged 68. He was cremated and his ashes scattered off the coast of Queenscliff, Victoria. A celebration of his life was held at the Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, in 1995.


Hydaburg Seaplane Base

Hydaburg Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located in Hydaburg, a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a "general aviation" facility.
Facilities and aircraft.
Hydaburg Seaplane Base has one seaplane landing area designated E/W with a water surface measuring 5,000 by 2,000 feet (1,524 x 610 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 1,000 aircraft operations, an average of 83 per month: 50% air taxi and 50% general aviation.
Airlines and destinations.
The following airline service is subsidized by the United States Department of Transportation via the Essential Air Service program.


Consolidated rental car facility

A consolidated rental car facility (CRCF) or consolidated rental car center (CONRAC) is a complex that hosts numerous rental car agencies, typically found at airports in the United States. The incentive for building consolidated facilities are numerous, including less congestion on streets in the airport area, more convenience for rental car company employees, greater efficiencies for rental car companies, and numerous environmental benefits from reduced emissions to consolidated, professionally managed fueling stations. Typical services to the rental car companies include onsite offices, fueling, car wash, car prep (vacuums, windshield wiper fluids, and trash services), and light maintenance areas.
A consolidated rental car facility may include the following areas: Customer Service Area/Building (CSA/CSB); Garage or "ready/return" areas; and back of house prepping areas or "Quick-Turn-Around" (QTA) stations.
Locations.
Planned CRCFs.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is currently constructing a consolidated rental car facility that will open in 2021.
Los Angeles International Airports consolidated rental car facility is currently under construction. Said to be the largest CONRAC when completed in 2023. 6.3 million square foot facility will store 18,000 vehicles. Will be connected by a under construction people mover.
Salt Lake City International Airport is currently building a consolidated rental car facility located behind the parking garage at the new terminal building.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport has announced plans to build a consolidated rental car facility located across from Terminal 2 and will be connected to Terminals 1 and Terminals 2 by an underground walkway.


9th Space Warning Squadron

The United States Air Force's 9th Space Warning Squadron (9 SWS) was a United States Air Force missile warning unit located at Robins AFB, Georgia.
History.
The 9th Space Warning Squadron was originally constituted as the 9th Missile Warning Squadron (9 MWS) on 4 January 1985, and activated at Robins AFB on 1 July 1985. The 9 MWS controlled the Southeast facing AN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS radar site, providing warning to detect sea-launched and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The site went mission operational on 10 November 1986. Later use of the radar included support for the USAF space surveillance network by providing satellite vehicle surveillance, tracking, and radar space object identification. With these added mission areas, the unit was redesignated 9th Space Warning Squadron (9 SWS).
As the likelihood of sea-based missile attacks from the Gulf of Mexico decreased, and the low probability of missile attacks from the South, the United States Air Force decided to close southern-facing PAVE PAWS sites at Robins AFB and Eldorado AS, Texas. Two radar faces, one each from Robins AFB and Eldorado AS, were moved to Clear AFS, Alaska as part of the BMEWS upgrade in 1998.


Family Airlines

Family Airlines was an American low-cost airline proposed in the 1990s.
The airline gained press attention after it said that it would offer $249 U.S. dollar fares from Los Angeles to New York City. The airline announced that it would cater to family travelers who found traditional airlines to be too expensive. In June 1992 Barry Michaels, the chief executive, said that "For the most part, we're looking at the leisure market, although there will be some business traffic, particularly on the San Francisco-Los Angeles sector." The airline announced that it would use "between three and five Boeing 747-100/200s" and that the first routing would go from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey to Miami to Las Vegas. The airline also announced that it was negotiating lease and purchase deals with European and Asian carriers involving parked 747-200s in desert areas and one involving a former Pan Am 747-100.
In an August 1992 "Philadelphia Inquirer" article Donald D. Groff compared Family Airlines to People Express Airlines. Family Airlines, which moved into a building in the Las Vegas Valley adjacent to McCarran International Airport in September 1992, stated that it planned to start Las Vegas to Los Angeles and Las Vegas to Newark in November 1992 and later begin services to San Francisco, Phoenix, Honolulu, Miami, and Boston. The airline also announced that it would begin service to Honolulu from Los Angeles or San Francisco for $249.
In March 1993 the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it would no longer process Family Airlines's application to begin service. In April 1993, after the United States Department of Transportation reviewed lawsuits and judgments against founder Barry Michaels, the agency asked him to relinquish control of the proposed airline. On April 27 Michaels agreed to do so. On June 24, 1996, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a suit against Michaels and his wife, Holly S. Michaels, for fraudulently offering unregistered stock for the airline. A federal judge in California ordered the couple to return $363,306 to the investors and pay $181,000 per person in civil penalties.
In January 2008, Family Airlines reappeared when a new application was filed with the Department of Transportation, with Michaels as CEO. The airline intended to operate up to twelve Boeing 747-400 aircraft in a 581-seat configuration in its first year of operation. Initial service would be between Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, with additional destinations to be added in the first year. Observers noted there were no significant changes from the airline's 1990s business plan, and a year later the airline's application was denied.
In 2010, the airline filed again, this time under the name Avatar Airlines, however the application did not proceed. In March 2014, Avatar relocated its corporate headquarters to Boca Raton, Florida and filed another application with the Department of Transportation, according to which Michaels no longer held a management position with the company. However, that same month, Michaels met with airport officials in Jacksonville, Florida where he represented himself as the chairman of the airline.
According to Barry Michael's personal LinkedIn resume, Avatar Airlines began again in April 2019 and as of March 2020 it was noted as based in Boca Raton Florida with Barry Michaels as CEO. The business model remains similar to the earlier Family Airlines and Avatar Airlines models, namely a Boeing 747 fleet and low cost fares with an added focus of long haul cargo transportation. As of December 2020, the status of FAA and DOT certifications are unknown however operations have not yet commenced.


26th Air Refueling Squadron

The 26th Air Refueling Squadron (26 AREFS) was a squadron of the United States Air Force that flew the KC-97E/F/G Stratofreighter, An early Cold War air refueling squadron, it primarily supported B-47 Stratojets of the Strategic Air Command Eighth Air Force during the 1950s and early 1960s. The squadron was inactivated in September 1964 as part of the phaseout of the KC-97 from SAC.
History.
The 26th Air Refueling Squadron was formed at Lockbourne Air Force Base Ohio in May 1952. Equipped with the new Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, it was assigned as the air refueling component of the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, primarily supporting the wing's Boeing RB-47 Stratojets. It provided air refueling support for a variety of Strategic Air Command (SAC) directed exercises and operations that included numerous simulated combat missions and deployments, ranging from a few days to a few months. The exercises took the squadron's aircraft to such bases as Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; Thule Air Base, Greenland; Royal Air Force stations at Upper Heyford and Fairford, United Kingdom; Sidi Slimane Air Base in Morocco; Goose Bay Airport, Laborador; and Lajes Field in the Azores.
In August 1953, the squadron refueled Republic F-84G Thunderjet fighters from the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing participating in the Operation Long Stride. They refueled seventeen F-84Gs from Turner Air Force Base, Georgia to RAF Lakenheath, Great Britain during a non-stop 4,485-mile trip. During the second phase of Operation Long Stride in October 1953, the 26th helped refuel eight F-84s of the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing from Turner to Nouasseur Air Base, French Morocco. The aircraft covered 3,800 miles in 10 hours and 20 minutes, thanks to in-flight refueling in the vicinity of Bermuda and the Azores. Crews and aircraft from the 26th deployed to Lajes in September 1954 for 45 days to refuel the 26th Wing's reconnaissance aircraft.
In April 1955, the squadron was reassigned to the new 4050th Air Refueling Wing under the SAC 57th Air Division at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. From Westover, the squadron carried out air refueling primary for Eighth Air Force B-47s transiting the Atlantic from either the United States or returning from SAC's REFLEX bases in Europe and North Africa. On 22 May 1957, the 26th was moved from Westover to Plattsburgh AFB, New York, being reassigned to the 380th Bombardment Wing under the 820th Air Division.
From its base at Plattsburgh, the squadron continued to support training in air refueling for B-47 and B-52 crews as well as deploying to bases in Newfoundland and Greenland. Aircraft and crews were at Sondrestrom, Greenland, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, to guard against any potential "sucker punch" that the USSR might try while our country grieved. The squadron was inactivated in September 1964 as part of the retirement of the KC-97 from SAC service.


Pocono Airlines

Pocono Airlines was a regional airline operating out of Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, founded by Walter E. ("Wally") Hoffman Jr.
History.
The inaugural flight was made on July 1, 1965 using a Beechcraft 18 N136L and a Piper Aztec N5508Y.
In 1967, Allegheny Airlines was embarking on replacing its own commuter airline service with services operated by independently contracted commuter airlines, and entered into negotiations with Pocono to take over certain Allegheny commuter routes. In 1968, Allegheny and Pocono entered into an outsourcing agreement covering service between Hazleton, Pennsylvania and Newark, New Jersey. Later that year, the agreement was extended to also include service between Wilkes-Barre and Newark. Pocono continued to add routes as an Allegheny commuter operator, including service from Wilkes-Barre to New York City in 1972 and service between Williamsport and Newark in 1974. Service to Hazleton proved unprofitable for Pocono by 1975, and the airline discontinued Hazleton service the next year.
By 1986 the airline had been unprofitable for two years and had a negative equity of $445,797 at the end of 1985.
The airline suspended operations in 1990 after failing to recover from a Chapter 11 reorganization.


Dean Ivan Lamb

Dean Ivan Lamb (January 25, 1886 – November 1955) was an American pioneer aviator and soldier of fortune.
Biography.
Dean Ivan Lamb was born on January 25, 1886 in Cherry Flats, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. In 1908 he was working on the Panama Canal
He enrolled in the Curtiss flying school in Hammondsport, New York in 1912. During the Mexican Revolution, according to a Lamb newspaper interview, he was hired as a mercenary pilot to fly for General Benjamín G. Hill's forces. Phil Rader, a mercenary pilot for opposing General Victoriano Huerta, had supposedly several times bombed the town of Naco, Sonora, Mexico, held by Hill's forces. The two pilots were reputed friends, and staged a mock pistol battle in the sky often labeled the first dogfight in history.
Lamb purportedly joined the British military in World War I and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a sergeant pilot, supposedly becoming an ace with either five or eight victories. Lamb was interviewed by Arthur Howden Smith of the "New York Evening Post" about his claimed downing of a German Gotha bomber over Hainault Forest, in which his gunner was killed and he himself was shot. However, he goes unnoted by such aviation historians as Norman Franks and Christopher Shores, and none of his victories have ever been documented.
Lamb supposedly was awarded Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 4543 on April 26, 1917, while an Air Mechanic, 1st Class. There is a Sgt. Dean Lamb (service number 8054) who joined the Royal Flying Corps on August 30, 1915, and was discharged on October 5, 1917. This man is listed as suffering from neurasthenia, and his age is given as 31 years, 8 months (which agrees with Lamb's age on the specified discharge date). Lamb also married in England in 1917.
Postwar, Lamb worked as an airmail pilot in New York, New Jersey and Maryland from December 9, 1918 to February 6, 1919. Lamb helped to establish the Honduran Air Force in 1921.
According to Lamb in another newspaper interview, while in Buenos Aires, he was hired as the "commander of the federal air squadron of 11 planes" in a civil war underway in Paraguay. As Lamb related the tale, it turned out the rebels were also recruiting in the same city at the same time. An Italian friend named Mazzolini was selected to lead "the revolutionists' air squadron". The two got together, rounded up the unemployed World War I veteran pilots in the city, and split them up, with Lamb first choosing two, then Mazzolini one (as the rebels had only six aircraft). The two groups then set out for Paraguay on the same train, carousing together all the way.
In that same interview, Lamb claimed that on one day, he and a loyalist colonel observed a dogfight over their airdrome. The non-flying colonel was impressed when the rebel plane went into a spin and "disappeared over the skyline", with federalist mercenary "Stewart on its tail, firing steadily." The colonel sent a case of champagne to celebrate the victory. When Lamb took Stewart aside to scold him, however, Stewart informed him that, like Lamb's own dogfight in Mexico, it was all a sham. By the time the rebels were defeated, Lamb's squadron had claimed 48 victories over the six enemy aircraft.
On December 1, 1944, Lamb was jailed, accused of stealing either $19,000 or $38,000 worth of jewels. He denied the grand larceny charge and was released on $5,000 bail. According to an Early Birds of Aviation article, he was cleared of the charge in May 1945.
A declassified memo dated April 15, 1949 from "John Edgar Hoover" to the Director of Intelligence, General Staff, Department of the Army, The Pentagon, reports that "Colonel Dean Ivan Lamb" was "recently interviewed" at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York office. In the interview, Lamb was asked about his information-gathering work for Alger Hiss (accused in 1948 of spying for the Soviet Union) in 1933. Lamb claimed he reported his activity to "Colonel Thiele of G-2 in Washington, D. C. in about March 1934." The memo requests any records of this notification and the "present whereabouts of Colonel Thiele in order that he may be interviewed in connection with these allegations."
He died in Tucson, Arizona, in November 1955.
Legacy.
Lamb was a member of the Quiet Birdmen and the Early Birds of Aviation.
Lamb wrote a book about his alleged exploits, "The Incredible Filibuster. Adventures of Colonel Dean Ivan Lamb" (Farrar & Rinehart, 1934, ASIN: B000QRALGU). Its ghostwriter co-author was John Eoghan Kelly.


Husum Schwesing Airport

Husum Schwesing Airport is a regional airport in Germany. It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.
History.
Fliegerhorst Husum was built by the Luftwaffe sometime during 1942-1944 as a decoy airfield for Husum-Narrenthal. After being captured by British Forces in April 1945, it was designed as Advanced Landing Ground B-172 Husum. The British Air Force of Occupation later converted it into a real airfield in 1946/1947 but no permanent RAF units were assigned to it.
The airfield remained in a care and maintenance status until 1959 when it was transferred to the new West German Air Force on 1 October 1959. It became home to JaBoG 35 (Jagdbombergeschwader35 of 35 Fighter-Bomber Wing) flying F-84 Thunderstreaks and 4 T-33 trainers. The Wing transferred to the new FIAT G-91 fighter bomber in 1966, signalling a new name for the unit. It was now known as Leichtes Kampfgeschwader 41 (LKG41 or 41 Light Attack Wing). With the transition to the Alpha Jet in 1980 the Wing was renamed again, this time becoming JaBoG 41.
When JaBoG41 disbanded after the end of the Cold War the southwest part of the airfield became a civilian airfield. The Northeast side remained part of the German Air Force, and became home to Flugabwehrrakettengeschwader (FlaRakG) 1 "Schleswig-Holstein" in 2001.
FlaRakG 1 (English: Air Defense Missile Wing 1) was equipped with the MIM-104 Patriot Surface to Air Missile (SAM) and HAWK missile systems. The HAWKs were withdrawn in 2001. The group took control of the army's Mantis SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense) systems in 2011.
The military part is closed off from the civilian airport by a fence, which encompasses the former air base minus the civilian airfield and also crosses the runway. The civilian part of the airfield is in charge of the control tower, some hangars, a parking and 1450m of the runway (the southern half). It is run by the Flughafen Husum GmbH & Co. KG.
The airfield is open to aircraft up to 14 tonnes and helicopters up to 10 tonnes.


HMS Ibis (U99)

HMS "Ibis", pennant number U99, was a sloop of the Royal Navy, named after the Ibis.
She was built by Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Haverton Hill-on-Tees, Co. Durham, was laid down on 22 September 1939, launched on 28 November 1940, and completed 30 August 1941. She was adopted by the civil community of Stoke Newington in London as part of the Warship Week savings campaign in 1942.
"Ibis" was sunk by an airborne torpedo from an Italian aircraft in the Western Mediterranean, north of Algiers, French Algeria, on 10 November 1942.
The Scottish comedian Rikki Fulton was a member of her crew.


United Airlines fleet

United Airlines operates 807 aircraft, giving it the second largest commercial airline fleet in the world. It primarily operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody and widebody aircraft.
Current fleet.
, the United Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:


INS Kohassa

INS Kohassa is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located at Shibpur, a village located on North Andaman Island.
History.
INS Kohassa was established as Naval Air Station (NAS) Shibpur in 2001 as a Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB) for enhanced surveillance in North Andaman. Presently, Dornier 228 aircraft and HAL Chetak helicopters of the navy and the Indian Coast Guard land at Shibpur once in a week, on their transit for surveillance of North Andaman Islands. In addition, the Indian Air Force operates its Dornier aircraft between Port Blair and Diglipur every Thursday for courier duties. In 2009, the government of India accorded sanction to commission NAS Shibpur as a full-fledged air station. The length of the runway is being extended to 12,000 ft and will enable day and night operations.
Dornier 228s of the navy and coast guard conducted search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 from this base.
In 2017, it was reported that the runway length would be extended to 3000m after acquisition of about 100 hectares of land. This will enable the operation of wide-bodied civil and defense flights. The station, earlier known as NAS Shibpur, was renamed as INS Kohassa after the extension of facilities in January 2019.


Santos Dumont House Museum

Santos Dumont Museum House (), better known as The Enchanted (), is a museum located in the municipality of Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The house is a picturesque residence built in 1918 on a steep hillside near the centre of the city. The street is "Rua do Encanto", meaning "Enchanted Street", so the house was nicknamed "A Encantada", "The Enchanted". It was constructed with the help of engineer Eduardo Pederneiras.
The house has some unusual innovations. Most notably, one of his inventions was the shower with hot water, the only one of Brazil at that time, being heated with alcohol. The external staircase of the house can only be climbed starting with the right foot, while the internal staircase can only started with the left foot. The internal architecture of the house is unusual for the period in that no partitions are used between the rooms. The house also has no kitchen, Santos-Dumont having all his meals delivered from the restaurant of the "Palace Hotel", which at that time was across the street. It is now the Catholic University of Petrópolis.
The house has three floors, plus an observatory on the roof.
Santos-Dumont's second book, "", was written in the house in 1918.
After his death, the house was donated to the City Hall of Petrópolis by his nephews so that "an institution was installed that would maintain his memory."
On July 14, 1952, the house was registered by IPHAN and today is part of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage.


RMS Empress of Asia

RMS "Empress of Asia" was an ocean liner built in 1912–1913 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships.
As well as being a passenger liner in peacetime, "Empress of Asia" served as an armed merchant cruiser and a troopship in wartime. She was sunk during World War II by Japanese aircraft while transiting from Bombay to Singapore.
Service history.
"Empress of Asia" was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan near Glasgow in Scotland She was launched on 23 November 1912, and christened by Mrs. Bosworth, wife of the Vice-President of the Canadian Pacific Railway. She completed her maiden voyage in 1913.
In May 1914, Captain Samuel Robinson pushed the RMS "Empress of Asia" and her crew in setting a new world's record for both a single day's steaming (473 nautical miles) and for crossing the Pacific (nine days, two hours, and fifteen minutes).
World War I.
During the First World War, "Empress of Asia" was converted into an auxiliary cruiser at Hong Kong. She was armed with eight 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns and Royal Navy officers assumed command. Among her peacetime crew only those in the Royal Naval Reserve were retained.
She was deployed in Asia, in the Middle East and in the Atlantic with Chinese, British Indian and Portuguese Indian (Goan) crew.
In late 1914, "Empress of Asia" was among the cruisers tasked with hunting the German light cruiser SMS "Emden" in the Indian Ocean east of Ceylon. The "Empress of Asia" transported wounded German prisoners from the sunken "Emden" to Colombo.
On 9 September 1918, "Empress of Asia" set sail from Hoboken, NJ bound for Liverpool carrying troops from the 86th Infantry Division's 331st Machine Gun Battalion, 311th Engineer Regiment and 311th Engineer Train. She arrived safely on 21 September 1918.
In 1919, "Empress of Asia" returned to Vancouver carrying the 72nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF); and the men disembarked from the ship at the CPR pier.
Inter-war period.
Amongst the celebrities who sailed in "Empress of Asia" was Bertrand Russell. The writer traveled from Yokohama to Vancouver in the late summer of 1921.
On 11 January 1926, "Empress of Asia" rammed the British coastal steamer in the Yangtze at Shanghai, China. "Tung Shing" sank with the loss of between five and ten lives.
"Empress of Asia" and "Empress of Canada" evacuated civilians from Shanghai in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
World War II.
"Empress of Asia" was requisitioned by the British Admiralty in January 1941, and sailed for Liverpool via the Panama Canal to the River Clyde for refitting as a troopship. For armament she received a 6-inch gun, a 3-inch gun HA, 6 20 mm Oerlikons, 8 Hotchkiss, Bofors guns, 4 PAC rockets and depth charges.
Her first task was to take soldiers of the Green Howards to Suez via the Cape of Good Hope to participate in the North Africa Campaign. From there she took Italian prisoners of war to Durban.
In September 1941, "Empress of Asia" sailed with the first convoy from North America to England which was escorted by ships of the United States Navy.
The final voyage of "Empress of Asia" began in November 1941, when she sailed from [[Liverpool]] carrying troops and supplies bound for Africa, [[Bombay]] and Singapore.
"Empress of Asia" was one of five ships that were carrying troops and military [[materiel]] and supplies to reinforce Singapore in the face of the rapid [[Battle of Singapore|Japanese advance]] on the island following their successful conquest of British Malaya by the beginning of 1942. The convoy, designated BM.12, had come under an aerial attack in the [[Bangka Strait]] on 4 February 1942 and suffered only minor damage. On 5 February, as the convoy sailed into and entered the western approaches to Singapore, serious fierce attacks were pressed against it by the Japanese military south of the [[Sultan Shoal Lighthouse]]. Nine Japanese dive-bombers focused their airborne assault on the "Empress of Asia". The second element of the convoy composed of the "Empress of Asia", [[:fr:Félix Roussel (paquebot)|"Félix Roussel"]] and the [[City of Canterbury (1922)|"City of Canterbury"]], escorted by and , and sighted vessels in the nearby waters with the "Empress of Asia" on fire, burning amidships, approaching [[Sultan Shoal]]. The ship anchored off the shoal with its onboard personnel gathered on the bow and the stern. The escort vessels, , and , stood by while HMAS Yarra's captain, [[Wilfred Hastings Harrington|Wilfred Harrington]], carefully manoeuvered the bow of his ship alongside the flaming and severely-damaged liner's stern and rescued away 1804 survivors. , which had been in the vicinity, picked up 78 more, while the "Wollongong" saved the last two persons on the now-sinking ship, its master (captain) and chief-engineer. There were a total of 16 deaths on the "Empress of Asia" which resulted from when she was attacked and destroyed. The ship finally sank near the small island of Sultan Shoal (then located in the western harbour-approaches of Singapore, presently between the West Jurong and AlGas Anchorages beside Temasek Fairway) about to the southwest of the western tip of the mainland of [[Singapore Island]]. Despite maritime-salvage efforts organized by [[Robert William Rankin|Robert W. Rankin]], all the military equipment and other crucial and vital supplies were lost and declared irrecoverable. Singapore would eventually fall to and come under the rule of Imperial Japan only ten days later (on 15 February 1942), which makes it difficult to speculate about what differences or changes to the outcome of the battle the "Empress of Asia" could have made if the ship had not been sunk. It was said that much of the vital military materiel and aid-supplies lost in the sinking of the ship would have been supplied and provided to the badly-equipped [[Dalforce|Singapore Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Battalion]] as well as reinforcing and strengthening the rest of the poorly-equipped and ill-supplied British-commanded defending troops, aside from British troops, comprising Australian, Indian and Malayan soldiers.
The last convoy of evacuees leaving Singapore included SS "Sing Kheng Seng" of the Straits Shipping Company, carrying 45 crewmen from "Empress of Asia" along with an unknown number of others.
[[Leonard H. Johnston]] was chief mate of "Empress of Asia" when she went down. He took charge of 40 other young survivors and led his crew-mates safely to [[Fremantle]], Australia. The journey involved sailing on three inter-island steamers to [[Sumatra]], hiking over 100 miles across the island to catch a ferry to [[Java]], and then a voyage from [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] to Australia aboard a flat-bottomed river boat with Johnston serving as navigator. He was honored with the [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for his exploits.
One of the ship's anchors was salvaged and subsequently put on display at the [[National Museum of Singapore]] in September 2015.
In April 2010, the shipwreck of the RMS Empress of Asia was found and in the possession for a subject of claim.
External links.
[[Category:1912 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Govan]]
[[Category:Ships of CP Ships]]
[[Category:Steamships of Canada]]
[[Category:Ocean liners of Canada]]
[[Category:Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Strait of Malacca]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1926]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1942]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft]]
[[Category:Troopships of Canada]]
[[Category:Cruisers of Canada]]


List of airlines of Gabon

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Gabon:


Felix Propellers

Felix Propellers Inc, was an American manufacturer of wooden propellers for homebuilt and ultralight aircraft as well as antiques. The company headquarters was located in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin.
The company produced fixed-pitch wooden propellers with two or four blades, with diameters from and for aircraft engines up to .


List of defunct airlines of Sri Lanka

This is a list of defunct airlines of Sri Lanka.