Gerald Garson

Gerald Phillip Garson (August 3, 1932 — February 6, 2016) was a New York Supreme Court Justice who heard matrimonial divorce and child custody cases in Brooklyn. He was convicted in 2007 of accepting bribes to manipulate the outcomes of divorce proceedings. Garson was imprisoned from June 2007 until December 2009.
In the bribery scheme, a "fixer" told people divorcing in Brooklyn that for a price he could steer their case to a sympathetic judge. After the fixer received a payment, he would refer the person to a lawyer contact of his, who had given Garson drinks, meals, cigars, and cash—accepting (and receiving) preferential treatment in return. The fixer and the lawyer, Paul Siminovsky (a lawyer for children appointed by Garson), would then bribe court employees to override the court's computer system, which was programmed to ensure that cases were assigned to judges randomly. Instead, they would have the case assigned to Garson. Garson, in turn, would then privately coach the lawyer. He would tell him questions the lawyer should ask of witnesses in the case before Garson, and arguments that the lawyer should make to Garson in court. Garson would then rule in favor of the lawyer.
Garson was indicted in 2003, on the basis of video surveillance of his judicial chambers, and recordings made on a body wire worn by his "favored" lawyer. At his four-week trial in 2007, he was acquitted on four counts, but found guilty on one count of accepting bribes, and on two lesser charges of receiving rewards for official misconduct. He was sentenced in June 2007 to three to ten years in prison. In December 2009, after 30 months in prison, he was released for good behavior at the age of 77.
"The New York Times", commenting on Garson's conviction, observed: "It was news that confirmed every sneaking suspicion, every paranoid fantasy of anyone who had ever felt wronged in a divorce court."
Early career.
Garson graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
In 1962 he founded the law firm Gerber & Garson, on Court Street in Brooklyn, with Howard Gerber. The politically connected law firm is now known as Gerber & Gerber. In the 1970s and 1980s, Garson and his law firm had a lucrative practice representing owners of taxi fleets, defending taxi drivers and owners in negligence suits.
In 1984, Garson was censured by the state Appellate Division for "conferring gifts, gratuities and benefits", by giving an improper gift to a judge with whom he had a "long-standing social relationship". Garson and members of his firm regularly appeared before then-New York Civil Court Judge Frank Vaccaro. In 1972, Garson treated Judge Vaccaro and his wife to a weekend vacation at Kutsher's County Club in the Catskills, and falsely registered the judge under an assumed name; later, he lied about the incident to investigators. Vaccaro, by then a New York State Supreme Court Justice, was suspended without pay for six months.
Garson was also Treasurer from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s for a political action committee arm of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the Brooklyn Democrats. He was appointed by his former law practice colleague, Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden.
Justice of the NY Supreme Court (1998–2003).
In 1997, Garson was placed on the ballot to be a Democratic Party nominee for the position of Justice of the New York Supreme Court, the highest state court below the appellate level, and the equivalent of county court. He was placed on the ballot by Clarence Norman Jr., a long-time Kings County Democratic Party leader. Garson then won the 1998 general election.
He became a Justice of the State Supreme Court, with an annual salary of $136,700. His courtroom was in "Matrimonial Part 5B", in the Municipal Building on Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights. In five years as a Justice, Garson handled 1,100 matrimony cases. He made decisions on child custody, and divided families' financial assets.
In an anonymous survey of lawyers, he was described as "always well prepared", and as having "excellent settlement skills." In the 2004–05 edition of "New York Judge Reviews and Court Directory", Garson received the following comments in anonymous reviews, under the section "Temperament/Demeanor":
Nearly every interviewee complimented Judge Garson's demeanor. 'He's pleasant, and will let you try your case. He's excellent—a real lawyer's judge.' 'He's easy to get along with.' 'He can be pleasant.' 'He's nice and very competent.' Only one lawyer criticized [him], saying, '[Judge Garson is] tough, and can be aggressive and impatient.'
Garson also received good ratings for his legal knowledge, administration of his courtroom, and handling of trials and settlements. He was rated "approved" by the local bar association. In 2001, he was applauded by feminists for ordering an Orthodox Jewish man to pay his ex-wife $500-a-week for life, because the man refused to grant her a religious divorce, or "get".
Indictment, arrest, and related events (2003–07).
Sting operation, indictment, and arrest.
In October 2002, Frieda Hanimov, an Israeli émigré nurse, called a hotline at the District Attorney's (DA's) Office. The mother of three, was at the time embroiled in a bitter child-custody dispute that was being heard by Judge Garson. She complained that she had been told that her husband, Yuri Hanimov, had bribed the judge to fix their case, and that he had done so through Nissim Elmann (reputedly a "fixer", who arranged bribes in divorce and custody cases) and Paul Siminovsky (the divorce lawyer whom Garson had appointed as law guardian for her children). The woman had learned this when she herself met with Elmann, seeking to bribe Garson. Elmann told her that she was too late, inasmuch as her husband had already paid a large bribe to receive a favorable ruling. Within days, the DA's Office had her wearing a wire, meeting with and secretly taping Elmann.
Garson was subsequently indicted and arrested in April 2003 outside of his Upper East Side apartment. He was charged with having accepted cash and other gifts from Siminovsky, as payment for preferential treatment. The treatment included Judge Garson privately coaching Siminovsky as to what questions he should ask, and what arguments he should use. Garson would then rule in Siminovsky's favor. This violated the rules of judicial conduct, which prohibit a judge from speaking privately with an attorney who has a case pending, without the presence or permission of the opposing attorney.
Garson was suspended from the bench without pay on May 22, 2003, by the Court of Appeals of New York. He ultimately resigned and retired.
In 2006, he received, but rejected an offer to plead guilty to two minor felonies, in exchange for a 16-month sentence in a local jail. His trial was delayed as he sought treatment for cancer and underwent surgery, and while pre-trial rulings on the charges against him were litigated.
Prosecution of others charged in the scheme.
Others charged with felonies linked to the Garson bribery scheme were: Siminovsky (who was ultimately sentenced to only one year in prison, as a result of his cooperation and a plea bargain), the "fixer" (sentenced to 16 months to 5½ years in prison), a court officer (sentenced to 1–4½ years in prison), two of Siminovsky's clients who paid what they understood were bribes (sentenced to three months in prison and 150 hours of community service, and to 210 hours of community service), and a former Garson court clerk (acquitted). Two long-time employees in the main court clerk's office, who were not arrested, were suspended without pay.
Lawyer.
Siminovsky, a lawyer who appeared before Garson in divorce cases, was arrested on February 25, 2003. He had a friendship with Garson going back to 2001 and spent an extraordinary amount of time with him outside of court, taking him out and paying for lunches, dinners, and drinks. In a November 18, 2002, in a recorded telephone conversation, he told Elmann (the "fixer") that he had just spent two hours getting Garson drunk, and that "[h]e'll do what we want."
On the morning he was arrested, Siminovsky was taken to the Fort Hamilton army base in Bay Ridge for questioning. He confessed within half an hour, and subsequently confessed to bribery. He made a deal with the investigators, agreeing to cooperate in the investigation of Garson in exchange for a reduced charge (a plea bargain), and the promise of a positive letter from the DA to Siminovsky's sentencing judge. Within hours, he was wearing a hidden body microphone in a sting operation, as he joined Garson for lunch at the Archives Restaurant on Adams Street. He continued to wear the wire for weeks in meetings with Garson.
Siminovsky testified for 13 days at two different trials. and ultimately helped prosecutors win convictions for nine people. Siminovsky, himself, as part of his plea bargain, pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor for having given unlawful gratuities. In June 2007, Acting Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey G. Berry, a visiting judge from Orange County, New York, sentenced him to a year in prison, the maximum sentence for the misdemeanor. He also lost his license to practice law, and agreed never to apply for reinstatement.
Bribers.
Ezra Zifrani and his daughter Esther Weitzner pleaded guilty in February 2004 to one misdemeanor conspiracy charge. They admitted having given $5,000 to Elmann (the "fixer"), to influence Garson's handling of a custody dispute between Weitzner and her ex-husband involving their five children. They said that Elman "clearly implied" he was going to bribe Garson. They did not know, however, whether the money was actually paid to Garson. Supreme Court Justice Michael Ambrosio ruled in August 2004 that Weizner was an unfit parent for her children, because she paid the bribe. In exchange for their pleas and their cooperation in the investigation, in August 2007 they were each sentenced to 210 hours of community service and three years of probation.
Avraham Levi pleaded guilty in June 2004 to having given the "fixer" $10,000 in December 2002, to get his case in front of and obtain favorable treatment from Garson (a Class E felony). There was no evidence that the money ever made its way to Garson. Subsequent to the husband's payment to the fixer, Garson awarded him exclusive custody of the couple's two oldest sons. Garson did not have an opportunity to rule on the couple's house, because he was arrested beforehand. In 2005, after the bribery scandal had broken and the case was moved to another judge, 100% of the marital residence was awarded to the wife.
For his role in the corruption scandal, Justice Berry sentenced Levi to three months in jail, 150 hours of community service, and five years' probation following his release.
Court officer and court clerk.
Louis Salerno (a 24-year-veteran court officer, who had been placed on modified duty) and Paul Sarnell (Garson's former senior court clerk, who had retired in 2002) were tried for allegedly accepting bribes to steer Simonivsky's cases to Garson. Their five-week trial ended in August 2004.
Prosecutors charged that Elmann would send potential clients to Siminovsky, who would then in turn enlist Salerno or Sarnell to steer his clients' divorce cases (which were supposed to be assigned randomly) to Garson. Prosecutors said that when Siminovsky needed a case to come before Garson, the defendants would go to an administrative clerk and tell her that Garson wanted the case reassigned to him. According to the prosecutors, the defendants received thousands of dollars in cash, plane tickets, and plastic bags of electronic equipment from Elmann's warehouse for their efforts.
Siminovsky testified at their trial. He said that after Salerno demanded $2,000 in order to have a Siminovsky case assigned to Garson, Siminovsky slipped the money into Salerno's pocket as they stood at adjacent urinals in a public courthouse restroom in Brooklyn. The court officer was also videotaped accepting a DVD player and VCRs from the lawyer in front of the Joralemon Street courthouse on March 27, 2003. Salerno was convicted of two felonies, bribe-receiving and receiving a reward for official misconduct, and sentenced in August 2007 to 1–4½ years in prison.
Sarnell's counsel maintained that anything improper that Sarnell might have done was done on Garson's orders. Sarnell was acquitted.
"Fixer".
In February 2005, Nissim Elmann, portrayed by prosecutors as a "fixer", pleaded guilty to seven felonies and six misdemeanors. He had been charged with bribery and conspiracy, for accepting bribes in divorce and child custody cases that he steered to Garson.
Elmann was a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, wholesale electronics dealer and salesman, with a business named "DVD Trading" on Brooklyn Avenue. He himself had appeared before Garson as a divorce litigant in 2000. He subsequently boasted in the Orthodox Jewish community in central Brooklyn, beginning in 2001, that for a price he could help parties in divorce cases make sure their case was heard by a sympathetic judge.
Elmann admitted to accepting thousands of dollars of cash (including $24,000 from three divorce litigants), and passing them on to Siminovsky to arrange preferential treatment for litigants in six cases before Garson. Though Elmann had asserted to his potential clients that he had direct contact with Garson (telling one mother, for example: "He will do everything for me. The problem is how much [will] you sacrifice?"), evidence later showed that he only had contact with Siminovsky, and he later admitted he did not know the judge.
Elmann was sentenced in August 2007 to 16 months−5½ years in prison, with Justice Berry saying "Justice is not for sale". Elmann was denied parole in 2008, and was not eligible to try again until July 2010.
Other ramifications.
Fifty motions to reopen divorce cases that had been handled by Garson were received by New York's chief administrative judge for matrimonial cases. Of those, three or four were granted a hearing, and eventually settled. However, even in cases that involved both Garson and Siminovsky, rulings were not necessarily reviewed or overturned. To receive a hearing, parties were required to demonstrate some likelihood that they had not received a fair trial. Criticizing a process that required parties who did not have subpoena powers or wiretaps to prove corruption in each case, the President of the New York State chapter of the National Organization for Women said: "The burden of proof is going to fall on them to show the case is corrupted; and how are they going to do that?"
The system of nominating judges was ruled unconstitutional by New York's Second Circuit. However, upon appeal to the Supreme Court that ruling was reversed. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/06-766.ZO.html Justice Scalia wrote the opinion. Justice Stevens wrote a concurring opinion in which Justice Souter joined, where he quoted Justice Thurgood Marshall in a scathing criticism of New York State's judicial election laws in that "The Constitution does not prohibit legislatures from enacting stupid laws." https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/06-766.ZC.html Prosecutors also complained of a "culture of corruption" in the court's matrimonial section, and Garson's case led to a widespread political and judicial corruption inquiry in Brooklyn.
The TV show "Law and Order" aired an episode entitled "Floater" on November 12, 2003, relating to a corruption scandal in Brooklyn Supreme Court in which a judge accepted bribes in return for giving litigants preferential treatment. The episode was "ripped from the headlines" of the Garson matter. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reported the Garson story for CBS's "48 Hours" on February 18, 2005. In addition, Frieda Hanimov was compared to whistle-blower Erin Brockovich, and Warner Brothers purchased the rights to a movie entitled "The Frieda Hanimov Story".
Democratic Party sting cooperation.
When Garson was arrested, he was confronted with surveillance videotapes from a video camera that the DA's Office had installed in his robing room chambers' ceiling pursuant to a December 9, 2002, warrant. After seeing the videotapes, he agreed to wear a wire to secretly tape conversations with Democratic Party leaders. His goal was to gather evidence that a seat on the bench could be purchased by paying cash to the county Democratic Party and to Norman, the Democratic Party leader who had helped place Garson on the bench. But he was unsuccessful in his effort to tape Democratic Party officials discussing buying and selling judgeships.
Norman was convicted, however, due to information that prosecutors say Garson provided. Norman was sent to prison for extortion, soliciting illegal contributions from a lobbyist, and stealing $5,000 from his re-election committee.
Trial and conviction (2007).
The audience for Garson's four-week trial "included a good number of displeased divorcées", observed "The New York Times". as well as members of various divorce Advocacy groups including The Alliance to Restore Integrity in Divorce and the National Organization of Women, who daily attended the proceedings. The trial took place in New York State Supreme Court, on Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The prosecution alleged that Garson had an agreement with divorce lawyer Siminovsky whereby the lawyer gave Garson cash, drinks, dinners, and cigars in exchange for courtroom assignments and favored treatment.
Videotapes.
The prosecutors entered into evidence secretly taped video surveillance recordings.
In a surveillance videotape made on February 5, 2003, of a private meeting in Garson's chambers, Siminovsky asked Garson if he would award the couple's home to his client, Avraham Levi. Garson responded: "I'll award him exclusive use". He gave Siminovsky detailed instructions as to how to argue the "Levi" divorce case before him. He assured Siminovsky that if he followed Garson's instructions: "The worst possible scenario is a win ... You're in good shape. You're a winner either way. And your schmuck [Avraham Levi] doesn't deserve it." Garson dictated to Siminovsky the exact language the lawyer should use in a memo to Garson. He urged him to charge his client extra for the memo, saying: "I am telling you, charge for it. This is extra; this was not contemplated; the judge made me do it ... Squeeze the guy." Referring to the estranged wife (Sigal Levi), the judge said: "She's fucked."
Garson also coached Siminovsky as to how to examine a witness regarding the amount of money the wife had earned from a school she operated. He said:
You'll put him on the stand. You go through, 'In evidence is a record book kept by ba ba boom, there's an average of so many students per month. The book indicates the approximate rate of $350–400 a month per student ... '
Garson coached Siminovsky over lunch on February 25, 2003, as to what to have his client say in a case Garson was hearing. With his conversation captured on an audiotape played at the trial, he advised Siminovsky:
Just have [your client] deny a few things. Like, 'Did she give you money every day to deposit?' 'No.' 'Did she go to the bank every day? She said she went to the bank every day. Is that true?' 'No.' 'Did you ever, ever take any cash?' 'Absolutely not.'
Another recording showed Siminovsky (at this point, part of a sting operation targeting Garson) giving the judge a $250 box of 25 "Romeo y Julieta" Dominican cigars on March 3, 2010. The cigars were supplied to Siminovsky by the DA's Office.
An additional recording showed Siminovsky in the judge's robing room on March 10, 2003. He handed Garson an envelope containing a $1,000 cash "referral fee". The cash had been supplied to Siminovsky by the DA's Office, as part of the sting operation. Garson initially refused to accept the money. He then tried to return it, suggesting that Siminovsky contribute it to Garson's wife's judicial campaign instead. But Siminovsky threw the money back on the judge's desk, saying he would make a campaign contribution as well, but telling the judge to keep the cash. Garson picked up the money, and tried to hand it to Siminovsky once again, saying "I appreciate it. No, no, no ... No." But then, sighing, he put the money in his desk drawer. Siminovsky was instructed by the DA to duck Garson's repeated calls that day and the next, anticipating Garson's attempts to return the money. When Garson was arrested a few days later on his way to work, the envelope containing the sting money was in his pocket. The box of cigars, purchased by the DA's office as part of the sting operation, had been placed in Garson's desk drawer in his robing room by Siminovsky, where they remained unopened and untouched until months later when the DA asked Garson's attorney to retrieve them. The explanation for this was not revealed in court.
In another videotaped exchange, they improperly discussed the outcome of a divorce case the lawyer had pending before the judge. Garson assured Siminovsky, saying: "You know what? Justice is being done." This was in a case where Garson is heard saying that neither parent was a suitable guardian but that he had no choice. Garson is heard lamenting that Siminovsky's client doesn't deserve it but that the other side didn't have a winning legal position about the shared home. Garson had found that the other side had lied about finances and operation of a daycare center and who had actually paid for the house the family lived in. Segal Levy was a friend of Haminov and had been told about the sting and coached about what to say in court.
Other evidence.
In addition, prosecutors provided financial records as evidence, as well as testimony from Siminovsky. Siminovsky testified that he entertained the judge with lunches, dinners, and drinks, nearly always paying the bill, and gave him money and cigars, in exchange for favorable treatment and 3 more legal assignments than the next highest number of assignments to a lawyer. Siminovsky co-chaired the committee that evaluated and approved attorneys to represent children. The prosecution alleged that before Siminovsky began cooperating with prosecutors, he had already entertained Garson more than 40 times, spending $3,149.
The lead prosecutor said that he had asked Garson: "Why did you do this with Siminovsky? Why did you take care of him?" And that Garson had replied: "I like him. And he kind of reminded me of myself."
Conviction.
Garson was convicted in April 2007 of bribery in the third degree, a Class D felony, in violation of New York Penal Law § 200.10. The jury found that he had accepted thousands of dollars in drinks and meals from Siminovsky in exchange for improperly giving the lawyer advice in a case Siminovsky had before Garson, as well as court-assigned appointments and free access to Garson and "showing Siminovsky more courtesy than he did many other lawyers". Garson was never accused of "fixing" cases.
Garson was also convicted of two lesser charges, relating to his accepting a box of cigars and $1,000 in cash from Siminovsky for having referred two clients. The charges were for receiving a reward for official misconduct in the second degree (a class E felony; the lowest under New York law, in violation of New York Penal Law § 200.25). The jury acquitted him on four other counts of receiving rewards for official misconduct in the second degree. Additionally, Garson was automatically disbarred as an attorney as a result of his felony convictions.
Sentencing, prison, and release (2007–09).
On June 5, 2007, Justice Berry imposed three consecutive sentences on Garson, which resulted in an aggregate sentence of between 3.5 and 10 years in prison. Garson cried in court, and said he was "profoundly sorry" for his actions. His lawyers pleaded for leniency on the basis of his reported alcoholism, bladder cancer, and other medical conditions. Berry rejected Garson's pleas for leniency, saying:
You should have been beyond reproach. The people of Brooklyn deserve more from you. You are not some bum. You're an intelligent man. You went to Penn, and Penn Law School.
His lawyer tried to delay his sentence on account of Garson's granddaughter's death, and so he could care for his mentally disabled grown son. He entered an alcohol detoxification program for six days, after which on June 28, 2007, he surrendered at State Supreme Court in Brooklyn to begin serving his sentence.
Until May 2009, he was isolated in protective custody at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York, 180 miles from New York City. From then on, he was in the general population at the Mid-Orange Correctional Facility in Warwick, New York, 60 miles from New York City.
Garson was granted an early release from prison, obtaining parole six months before the term of his minimum sentence had run. He was granted parole in his first appearance before the New York State Parole Board, over the DA's Office's strong opposition, and released from a Harlem halfway house on December 23, 2009. He was released early as a result of his completion of a substance abuse program, and good behavior. Conditions of his release included that through June 2017 he abide by curfews set by his probation officer, not associate with any law firms, not drink alcohol, and at the discretion of his parole officer attend an alcohol abuse treatment program and submit to substance abuse testing. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said it was relatively rare for a non-violent felon to receive parole the first time he appeared before the board, as only 21% did so in 2008. If he had been denied parole, he would have had to wait an additional two years before he could re-apply.
Garson had also appealed his conviction. But his appeal was denied on January 5, 2010, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. It opined that the evidence of his guilt was "overwhelming".
Family.
Garson's second wife is Robin Garson. A Brooklyn Law School graduate, and an election lawyer for the Kings County Democratic Committee (helping eliminate party opponents from the ballot and was a member of the legal team representing DA Hynes in 2001.) and chaired or was a member of several state and local bar committees. In 2002, having been nominated by the Democratic Party for a judgeship on the Brooklyn Civil Court (a level below New York Supreme Court), she won her election and became a judge on the court, and was reelected in 2012. In 2011, she was appointed by NY's Chief Administrative Judge to serve as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of NY.
Garson and his wife were married for more than two decades. Garson has four children, and a number of grandchildren.


Nellore Airport

Nellore Airport is a proposed greenfield airport project near Dagadarthi, India, intended to serve the Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. The airport is to be developed on of land with an estimated cost of .
History.
Planning.
In 2008, the Government of Andhra Pradesh invited for expressions of interest to develop eight minor airports in the state, including an airport at Nellore. Each airport was expected to cost . The airports were to be built in . The construction of this airport was chosen because Krishnapatnam Port is situated about from Nellore. However, AAI has rejected this proposal citing insufficient land available for the construction of the airport.
In 2013, Ministry of Civil Aviation had identified Nellore airport as one of the 50 locations across the country for low-cost airports to be built by the AAI. These airports would be built with bare minimum facilities for aircraft to operate, without compromising on safety and security.
In September 2017, the government of Andhra Pradesh solicited proposals for development of a no-frills greenfield airport at Dagadarthi under a public-private partnership. The development proposal by SCL-Turbo Consortium Pvt. Ltd. was accepted, along with the associated draft concession agreement and financial stipulations. The Arafath Group and ADP Ingénierie was to construct and operate the airport. SCL Turbo has formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) Nellore International Airport Private Limited for the construction.
Construction.
The airport was to be developed on of land with an estimated cost of . The project had received all clearances and approvals from various agencies. As per the agreement, the financial closure for the project was to be achieved by December 2018. On January 26, 2018, during his Republic Day speech, the District Collector R. Mutyala Raju announced that the acquisition of land for the airport was nearly completed.
The foundation stone was laid by then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on January 10, 2019. However, the YSR Congress Party led government, which was elected in May that year, moved to review all the major decisions taken by the previous government. In August 2019, the new government terminated its contract with Nellore International Airport Private Limited to develop the airport. The government said it would complete the project by handing the airport over to the AAI. In July 2020, the government formally scrapped the concession agreement signed with the SCL Turbo consortium. Later in November same year, the government has invited fresh bids from national and international companies for the construction of the airport.


Japanese submarine tender Komahashi

, was an auxiliary vessel operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, serving from the 1910s through World War II. Her classification changed numerous times during her operational life. Although officially designated as a submarine tender for most of her career, "Komahashi" very rarely functioned in this role, but was used instead as an oceanographic survey vessel throughout the Pacific, and as a "kaibokan" escort vessel for convoys of merchant ships during the Pacific War.
Background.
The Imperial Japanese Navy received its first submarines during the Russo-Japanese War, but these vessels were not operational until after the war ended. During the post-war period, submarine warfare was given a low priority for development, as the early submarines were regarded as unsafe, and useful only for short-range coastal point defense.
Design.
"Komahashi" was designed and built as the at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal. She was laid down on 7 October 1912 and was launched on 21 May 1913. She was specifically intended for the role of supplying the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mako Guard District, located in the Pescadores between Taiwan and China.
Her design was that of a standard three island merchant freighter, with two coal-fired Hayabara boilers producing 1825 shp, driving a single shaft, with a design speed of 14 knots. In 1932, she was modernized with two Ikegai diesel engines. She was armed with two QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval guns and one 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun.
Operational career.
With the start of World War I, from 20 January 1914, "Komahashi" was based at Sasebo Naval District, and was converted into a submarine tender on 23 May 1914. However, soon after, on 16 August 1914, she was re-classified as a 2nd class "kaibokan" and assigned to the 4th Torpedo Division.
On 1 April 1920, her classification was changed that of a .
On 1 December 1924, "Komahashi" was again classified once again as a submarine tender, however her primary task for the next several years was that of a survey vessel, charting the area around the Pescadores and the China coast. On 1 October 1931, "Komahashi" was assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, and was refitted at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in early 1932 with more powerful diesel engines and survey ship facilities, a process that lasted until November 1932. Upon re-launching, she surveyed around the Luzon Strait, the South Pacific Mandate, the Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula, collecting data on ocean currents, salinity, subsea topography and fisheries resources. One of her discoveries was the Komahashi Seamount, an underwater volcano at the northern end of the Kyushu–Palau Ridge in the Philippine Sea.
On 19 August 1937, "Komahashi" was assigned to the IJN 3rd Fleet and participated in combat operations along the China coast during the Second Sino-Japanese War. On 10 October 1937, she was assigned to the China Area Fleet.
From June 1939, "Komahashi" was once again assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, and assigned to surveying missions and patrols of the South Pacific Mandate area for the potential development of seaplane bases and naval harbors, and was serving in this capacity at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. At some time during 1941, she was also fitted with depth charge racks and six Type 96 25-mm AA guns.
During early 1942, "Komahashi" remained based at Yokosuka, and provided short-range escort for inbound and outbound convoys. On 7 July 1942, "Komahashi" participated in the rescue mission for survivors of the SS "Haruna Maru", a 10420-ton passenger liner that had run aground off Omaezaki on a transport mission for the Imperial Japanese Army. After the conclusion of the rescue, Komahashi was reassigned to the IJN 5th Fleet for operations in northern waters. During August–September 1942 "Komahashi" surveyed the Aleutian Islands during the Japanese invasion. She was heavily damaged by U.S. aircraft at Kiska on 29 September and was forced to withdraw to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal for repairs. On 1 November, she was once again assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, where she made 38 runs as a convoy escort and transport in waters around the Japanese home islands throughout 1943.
On 16 January 1944, "Komahashi" was declared flagship of the 3rd Escort Group, IJN Escort Fleet and based in Owase, Mie Prefecture, escorting shipping around the Kii Peninsula. Later that year, she received more anti-aircraft guns, including additional Type 96s, two Type 93 13.2 mm AA guns and two Type 92 7.7mm machine guns.
On 15 April 1945 "Komahashi" was assigned to the role of flagship of the 4th Special Attack Division, based at Owase. The division included 60 "Shin'yō " suicide motorboats, 24 "Kairyu" midget submarines and four "Kaiten" human torpedoes.
It was in this role that she was attacked by Allied aircraft of Task Force 38 on 27 July of that year and sank in shallow waters at Owase. "Komahashi" was abandoned until the surrender of Japan and officially struck from the navy list on 30 November 1945. On 20 September 1948, she was refloated and towed to Nagoya, where she was salvaged for scrap in 1949.


M2 (Copenhagen Metro)

M2 is a line of the Copenhagen Metro, colored yellow on the map. It runs from Vanløse to Lufthavnen through the center of Copenhagen, sharing track with the M1 from Vanløse to Christianshavn. The line was built along with M1 as part of the redevelopment of Ørestad. The principle of the line was passed in 1992, and construction commenced in 1998. The line opened in several stages between 2002 and 2007. It is owned by Metroselskabet and operated by Metro Service, and operates with a headway between four and twenty minutes.
The line is long, and runs in a tunnel through the city center between Lindevang and Amager Strand. It connects the western borough of Vanløse and the municipality of Frederiksberg to the city center of Copenhagen, as well as the eastern parts of Amager and Copenhagen Airport. It provides transfer to the S-train at three stations and to DSB trains at two stations.
Its southern end, in the district of Amager Øst, largely follows the same route as a disused railway line, Amagerbanen, along the coast of Øresund.
History.
The background for the metro was the urban development of the Ørestad area of Copenhagen. The principle of building a rail transit was passed by the Parliament of Denmark on 24 June 1992, with the "Ørestad Act". The responsibility for developing the area, as well as building and operating the metro, was given to the Ørestad Development Corporation, a joint venture between Copenhagen Municipality (45%) and the Ministry of Finance (55%). Initially, three modes of transport were considered: a tramway, a light rail and a rapid transit. In October 1994, the Development Corporation chose a light rapid transit system.
The decision to build stage 2, from Nørreport to Vanløse, and stage 3 to the airport, was made by parliament on 21 December 1994. Stage 2 involved the establishment of the company Fredriksbergbaneselskapet I/S in February 1995, owned 70% by the Ørestad Development Corporation and 30% by Fredriksberg Municipality. The third stage would be built by Østamagerbaneselskapet I/S, established in September 1995 and owned 55% by the Ørestad Development Corporation and 45% by Copenhagen County. In October 1996, a contract was signed with the Copenhagen Metro Construction Group (COMET) for building the lines, and with Ansaldo for delivery of the trains and operate the system the first five years. COMET was a consortium comprised Astaldi, Bachy, SAE, Ilbau, NCC Rasmussen & Schiøtz Anlæg and Tarmac Construction.
Construction started in November 1996, with the moving of underground pipes and wires around the station areas. In August 1997, work commenced at the depot, and in September, COMET started the first mainline construction work. In October and November, the two tunnel boring machines (TMB), christened "Liva" and "Bette", were delivered. They started digging each barrel of the tunnel from Islands Brygge in February 1998. The same month, the Public Transport Authority gave the necessary permits to operate a driverless metro. The section between Fasanvej and Frederiksberg is a former S-train line, and was last operated as such on 20 June 1998.
The first section of tunnel was completed by September 1998, after which the TMBs moved to Havnegade. By December 1998, work had started on all the initial nine stations. Plans for M2 were presented to the public in April 1999, with a debate emerging if the proposed elevated solution was the best. In May, the first trains were delivered, and trial runs began at the depot. In December, the tunnels were completed to Strandlodsvej, and the TMBs were moved to Havnegade, where they started to grind towards Frederiksberg. From 1 January 2000, the S-train service from Solbjerg to Vanløse was terminated, and work to rebuild to metro started. By February 2001, all tunnels were finished.
In March 2001, the Copenhagen County Council decided to start construction of stage 3. On 6 November 2001, the first train operates through a tunnel section and on 28 November, laying of tracks along stage 1 and stage 2A completed. An agreement about financing stage 3 was reached on 12 April. By 22 May, the 18 delivered trains had test-run . The section from Nørreport to Lergravsparken and Vestamager was opened on 19 October 2002. Initially, the system had a 12-minute headway on each of the two services. From 3 December this was reduced to 9 minutes, and from 19 December to 6 minutes. Operation of the system was subcontracted to Ansaldo, who again subcontracted it to Metro Service, a subsidiary of Serco. The contract had a duration of five years, with an option for extension for another three.
Trial runs on the next section of metro, stage 2A from Nørreport to Frederiksberg, began on 24 February. It opened on 29 May 2003. All changes to bus and tin schedules in Copenhagen took place on 25 May, but to allow Queen Margrethe II to open the line, the opening needed to be adapted to her calendar. This caused four days without a bus service along the line. Stage 2B, from Frederiksberg to Vanløse, opened on 12 October.
Forum Station was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2005. In 2007, the Ørestad Development Corporation was discontinued, and the ownership of the metro was transferred to Metroselskabet I/S. The stage 3 opened on 28 September 2007, from Lergravsparken to the airport. It followed for the most part the route of the former Amager Line of the Danish State Railways. With this stage complete, 34 trains had been delivered. However, the line had caused a heated debate, and several locals had organized themselves in the Amager Metro Group. They demanded that the line instead be tunneled, arguing that it caused a physical barrier in Amager and that it created noise pollution.
Route.
M2 starts at Vanløse, which serves mostly a residential area, and where there is transfer to the S-train's lines C and H. The line starts elevated and is located in fare zone 2. The line then runs into the enclave municipality of Frederiksberg, running parallel to the Frederikssund Line of the S-train. At Flintholm, there is transfer to the C, F and H-lines of the S-train. Flintholm is the country's third-largest public transport hub. The station is located at the Grøndal Park, and is the borderline between the urban and suburban Copenhagen. The area around Lindevang is a redeveloped industrial area, which now is mostly residential, in addition to hosting the Copenhagen Business School.
After Lindevang, the line dives into the tunnel that it follows through the city center. At Fasanvej there is another campus of the Copenhagen Business School. Frederiksberg serves the center of the municipality, that in addition to many public offices and cultural facilities, serves the University of Copenhagen's Frederiksberg Campus and another campus of the Copenhagen Business School. This station is located in both fare zone 1 and 2. Frederiksberg became a transfer station to M3 when the City Circle Line was opened on 29 September 2019. Forum is the last station in Frederiksberg Municipality, but located only a few blocks from the Copenhagen borough of Nørrebro. The Forum area is a residential area built during the 1930s and 1940, built in functionalism, and hosts the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
Nørreport lies within Indre By—the city center of Copenhagen. It is the main intersection with DSB's intercity and regional trains, as well as the S-train, serving lines A, B, C, E and H. Kongens Nytorv lies at the heart of the commercial and cultural center of Copenhagen. When the City Circle Line opened, the station serves as the transfer to lines M3 and M4. Christianshavn is located on an island, a former navy base that has been redeveloped into residential and commercial mix. It is the last station served by both lines, with M1 branching off towards Islands Brygge.
Amagerbro is located in the borough of Amager Øst, and is the first station on the island of Amager. The surrounding area combines a residential area with night life and many shops. Lergravsparken is surrounded by an older, dense residential area, although it has experienced a commercial growth after the metro arrived. After Lergravsparken, the line emerges and runs on an embankment or elevated the rest of the way to the airport. The line also enters the municipality of Tårnby and passes into fare zone 3. Øresund is located in an industrial area, and is one of few stations to have no correspondence with any buses.
Amager Strand is located from Amager Beach Park, that runs along the coast of Amager. This station also has no corresponding bus routes. Femøren is located in an industrial area, but also near the park Tiøen. Kastrup is the first station in fare zone 4. It is located in a predominately industrial area, but the area also features a marina and other aquatic leisure facilities.
Lufthavnen (the Airport) is the terminus of M2. It is located at Terminal 3 of Copenhagen Airport, the largest airport in the Nordic Countries and the main hub for Scandinavian Airlines, and a hub for Norwegian Air Shuttle. There is also transfer to the mainline train station, which serves DSB's intercity and regional trains, and international trains to Sweden, the regional Oresundtrain and SJ's X 2000 intercity service to Stockholm.
Service.
The system operates continually (24/7) with a varying headway throughout the day. During rush hour (07–10 and 15–18), there is a four-minute headway. During Thursday through Saturday night (24–05), the headway is fifteen minutes, and other nights it is twenty minutes on all sections of the metro (M2 trains change when travelling at night on weekdays : travellers between Lufthavnen and Vanløse must change train at Christianshavn and to take the M1 line. The journey may take longer). At all other times, there is a six-minute headway. On the section shared with M1, there is half the headway (except during night on weekdays). Travel time along the whole line is 24 minutes, with the section from the airport to Nørreport taking 15 minutes and from Nørreport to Vanløse taking 9 minutes.
The line is owned by Metroselskabet and operated by Metro Service. The line uses 34 AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro vehicles that are shared with M1. The depot is located at the Service and Maintenance Center at Vestamager on M1.


Alan Bristow

Alan Edgar Bristow, (3 September 1923 – 26 April 2009) founded one of the world's largest helicopter service companies, Bristow Helicopters Ltd, which prospered primarily in the international oil and mineral exploration and extraction industries, but also spread into search and rescue, peacekeeping and other fields.
Early life.
Born in Balham, south London, on 3 September 1923, Alan Bristow was raised first in Bermuda, where his father Sydney was in charge of the Royal Naval Dockyard, and later in Portsmouth, England, when his father was promoted. At Portsmouth Grammar School Bristow was a contemporary of the author James Clavell, who remained a lifelong friend and wrote a book, "Whirlwind", about one of Bristow's riskier exploits.
World War II.
After World War II broke out, on his 16th birthday in 1940 Bristow joined the British-India Steam Navigation Company as a deck officer cadet. He twice had ships sunk under him: the , by Japanese warships in the Bay of Bengal on 6 April 1942; and the by the German submarine "U-214" on 18 August 1942. He was present at the evacuation of Rangoon and the Operation Torch landings in North Africa. Bristow was credited with shooting down two Stukas from the forepeak of an ammunition ship off the coast of Algeria.
In 1943, Bristow joined the Fleet Air Arm as a trainee pilot. Trained by the RAF in Canada, he was trained on the Fairchild Cornell and North American T6 Harvard. In 1944, he was sent to Floyd Bennett Field, New York to learn to fly the difficult Sikorsky R-4 helicopter, the world's first mass-production military helicopter. In 1946 he became the first Briton to land a helicopter on the deck of a naval frigate at sea.
Career.
After demobilisation he joined the Westland Aircraft Company as its first helicopter test pilot, but was sacked for attacking the company's sales manager.
Bristow Helicopters.
As a freelance helicopter pilot, he sprayed crops in France, the Netherlands and North Africa. Starting his own helicopter trading and operating company, in 1949 while in Indochina trying to sell Hiller 12A helicopters to French Army forces, Bristow rescued a group of French soldiers using one of his own helicopters, while they were under attack from Viet Minh mortar fire. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre. Bristow then provided helicopter spotting services for Aristotle Onassis's pirate whaling fleet in the Antarctic.
Bristow started operating flights in aid of oil exploration in the Persian Gulf. Engaged by the former RAF fighter ace Douglas Bader, his company became highly profitable and Bristow a wealthy man. In the 1960s, Bristow sold a stake in his business to a consortium led by Freddie Laker, having tossed a coin in the course of an extended lunch to decide the valuation of the shares. Bristow won, and the funds enabled him to buy the Baynards Park estate in Surrey.
Bristow Helicopters Ltd eventually expanded to cover most of the globe outside Russia and Alaska, with notable profit centres in the British North Sea, Nigeria, Iran, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. For his services to aviation he was honoured with an OBE in 1966.
Bristow's reign over the British helicopter sector came to an end in 1985 after he had a falling-out with Lord Cayzer, whose family holding company British & Commonwealth was one of the shareholders brought in by Laker. Bought out by the Cayzers, Bristow retired and the company's fortunes declined with the North Sea oil industry.
Westland Affair.
In April 1985, Bristow formed a consortium called Bristow Rotorcraft to launch an £89 million bid for his former employer, Westland Helicopters, which was initially rejected. After the Government of Margaret Thatcher had forced the board to accept, Bristow was threatening to pull out unless he was given assurances of new Ministry of Defence orders and the cancellation of a £40 million "launch aid" loan from the government. Bristow withdrew his bid in June 1985, by which time Westland preferred an agreement with the American company Sikorsky Aircraft. However, the Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine MP demanded a "European" solution, and resigned spectacularly after a cabinet row to create the Westland Affair. The resultant disputes within the Conservative Party resulted in the resignation of Leon Brittan as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Bristow claimed to have been offered a knighthood if he would return to the negotiating table to help the government out of its embarrassment. Westland was eventually bought by Sikorsky.
Other interests.
In 1968, Bristow took over from Laker as the chairman of independent airline British United Airways. After leading the 1970 merger with Caledonian Airways to form British Caledonian, he then returned to chair Bristow Helicopters.
A keen equestrian, Bristow represented Great Britain at four-in-hand carriage driving with the Duke of Edinburgh. In the late 1980s, he developed an, ultimately unsuccessful, driverless urban rapid transit system called Briway.
Personal life.
Twice married, he had a son Laurence, a professional racing driver and a daughter by his first wife, Jean. He died on 26 April 2009, aged 85, survived by his son and by his second wife, Heather.


Uljin Airport

Uljin Airfield (IATA: UJN, ICAO: RKTL) (Korean: 울진비행장) is a partially finished airport near Uljin County, South Korea. Construction was suspended in 2005 after the airport was 85% complete. The Board of Audit and Inspection halted construction after it was determined no airline wanted to use the airport. The airport gained international notoriety when it was selected by Agence France-Presse as one of its "Zany stories of 2007". The AFP reported "A town in South Korea which spent some US$140 million to build its own airport was then forced to admit that no airlines actually wanted to fly there." Uljin Airport may be used for a pilot training center.
The airport features single runway (17/35) which is long and wide. The runways are equipped with ILS.


Jean Navarre

Jean Marie Dominique Navarre (8 August 1895 – 10 July 1919) was a French aviator during World War I. As one of the pioneer flying aces, he was credited with twelve confirmed aerial victories and fifteen unconfirmed ones.
Early life.
Born on 8 August 1895 in Jouy-sur-Morin, Navarre turned out to be a difficult child who challenged his teachers and frequently played truant with his younger brother.
Navarre earned Civil Pilot's Brevet No. 581 on 22 August 1911. This earned him immediate entry into French military aviation in August 1914, when the World War began.
World War I service.
In September 1914, Navarre earned Military Pilot's Brevet No. 601. He was originally assigned to "Escadrille MF8". He then joined the "MS12" reconnaissance squadron, flying Morane-Saulnier L aircraft, nicknamed 'parasol' due to the large upper wing covering most of its narrow fuselage. Shortly thereafter, on 1 April 1915, Navarre was the pilot when his observer shot down a German Aviatik north of Fismes. Navarre's first victory earned him a "Médaille militaire", awarded just five days later, to join his "Croix de Guerre". On 13 April 1915, Navarre again scored while flying with a different gunner. On 2 August 1915, he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, with the citation based as much on secretive special missions as on aerial victory. He would score once more, on 26 October 1915, before reassignment to "Escadrille 67" to fly a Nieuport.
Navarre was flying an aircraft that he had painted a patriotic and striking red, white, and blue. When he received new Nieuport 11 and Nieuport 16 fighters in May 1916, he deliberately painted both red to challenge and intimidate the enemy in the skies over Verdun, well before his German counterpart would gain notoriety as the Red Baron. Navarre began his victory string with his new unit by scoring one of the first "doubles" of the war, downing a Fokker E.III and a German two-seater on 26 February 1916, and becoming one of the first flying aces in history. He was dubbed the first official French flying ace, though Adolphe Pégoud preceded him. Navarre tallied half a dozen more wins during the next three months and on May 19, 1916 he shot down a German Aviatik C over Chattancourt, France, becoming the first Allied ace credited with 10 victories.
On 17 June 1916, Navarre teamed with Georges Pelletier d'Oisy for Navarre's twelfth win. In the process, Jean Navarre was shot down and sustained severe head injuries from which he never fully recovered. Navarre's younger brother was killed in a flying accident at about the same time. Jean Navarre was removed from active duty and sent to a sanatorium to convalesce. He would return to duty in 1918, though he would not again fly in combat.
Personal life during World War I.
 In the early days of the war, flyers mainly flew reconnaissance missions, and their aircraft were not armed.
Flyers would sometimes wave at their opponents when meeting in the air. Navarre felt strongly that combatants should kill their enemies; there was no room for fraternizing gestures. He later became one of the first flying aces.
Navarre continuously experimented with ways to improve his aircraft's armament, at one point even installing rockets. By this time, Navarre had achieved 12 victories despite his technical handicap.
Navarre became close friends with fellow ace Charles Nungesser, who was as reckless and insubordinate as himself. In addition to their growing reputation as flying aces, Navarre and Nungesser also became extremely popular in Parisian nightlife for a number of colorful and unorthodox stunts.
Post-World War I.
After the end of hostilities, a victory parade was planned on the Champs Élysées on 14 July 1919. However, the high command ordered airmen to participate on foot rather than flying their aircraft. The headstrong 'heroes of the air' took this as an insult. At a meeting in the 'Fouquet' bar on the Champs Élysées, they decided to respond to this affront by selecting one of their number to fly through the Arc de Triomphe. Navarre, as the first among the aces, was considered the ideal choice despite his injuries. Tragically, however, while practicing for this stunt, Navarre crashed his aircraft and died at Villacoublay aerodrome on 10 July. He was only 23 years old. Fellow pilot Charles Godefroy would eventually perform the historic flight through the Arc de Triomphe a few weeks later on 7 August 1919.
Honors and awards.
Médaille militaire
Légion d'honneur


Stanislav Zimprich

Stanislav Zimprich (3 March 1916 – 12 April 1942) was a Czech pilot who flew with the RAF in the Battle of Britain.
Stanislav Zimprich was born on 3 March 1916 at Havlickuv Brod, south-east of Prague, then in Austria-Hungary, later Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). He joined the Military Aviation Academy at Prostejov for pilot training, and was posted to the Academy at Hranice where he graduated in 1937. He was then posted to the 5th Air Regiment. When Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Zimprich was demobilised with all the other members of the Air Force, but on 29 May, he and five Air Force colleagues escaped to Poland. They travelled at first by train, and then walking across the Ostravia region and over the border into Poland. After being briefly interned by the Polish authorities, the six Czech personnel were transferred to Krakow and reported to the Czechoslovak Consulate. On 17 June, Zimprich and forty-one other Czech airmen sailed from Gdynia on the "Sobieski", arriving at Boulogne on 18 June 1939.
The Czechoslovak airmen were required to join the French Foreign Legion for a five year period, with the agreement that, should war be declared, they would be transferred to French military units. Zimprich was placed in the Legion barracks at Nanterre, near Paris, and then transferred to the training base at Sidi-bel-Abbes, Algeria. When war broke out he was transferred to l’Armée de l’Air and was posted to its Paris airbase. On 1 December 1940 he was posted to CIC Chartres for training on French equipment. He completed this training on 18 May 1940 and was assigned to GC I/8, based at Chantilly-les-Aigles, north of Paris. The rapidity of the German advance in May 1940 caused GCI/8 to move frequently as it retreated westward. By mid-June it was at Corme-Ecluse, near Royan, in south west France. When France collapsed, the Czech airmen of GCI/8 were released from l’Armee de l’Air service, and they travelled to the port of Bayonne. On 22 June they boarded the "Konig Emma" which landed them in England at Plymouth two days later.
Zimprich was at 4 Recruit Centre until 1 July when he went to the RAF Czechoslovak Depot at Cosford. He was commissioned in the RAFVR on 12 July and he joined 310 Squadron at Duxford. He made his first operational flight on 18 August. Zimprich probably destroyed two Me110's on 7 September, destroyed a Do17 and damaged a Me110 on 9 December, and probably destroyed a Do17 on 18 December.
Still with 310 Squadron as a Flight Lieutenant, 26 year-old Zimprich died on 11 June 1942 during a combat training exercise using on-board cine cameras with six other 310 Squadron Spitfires near Perranporth airfield in Cornwall. He was flying Spitfire BL497, and appeared to make a mock attack, coming from the port side rear of Spitfire AD402 flown by Sergeant Stanislav Halama. He clipped the tail of Halama’s aircraft causing it to go into a vertical dive and crash into Gear Sands, killing the pilot. Zimprich’s Spitfire was seen to be flying very low from the sandhills towards the beach, its undercarriage up, but with its flaps down and the engine cut. Zimprich overshot the beach and landed in the sea, close to the shore. For some minutes, shore observers saw the tail of the Spitfire sticking out from the sea and a dark object, wearing a life jacket, floating away from it. An attempt was made to form a human chain to reach the aircraft but the people were beaten back by the sea. Zimprich’s body was washed up near Combe Martin on 20 July.
F/L Stanislav Zimprich was buried in St Augustine’s Churchyard, Heanton Punchardon, North Devon, on 22 July 1942.
He is credited with one confirmed and four probable kills. He mainly flew in a Hawker Hurricane. He was featured on a Czechoslovak postage stamp in 1945.


Royal Air Force Memorial (Albany, Georgia)

The Royal Air Force Memorial in Albany, Georgia, United States, honors the British Royal Air Force Cadets buried in Albany and stands as a memorial to all British cadets who trained in the U.S. during World War II. It is located in Crown Hill Cemetery.


Crew rest compartment

A crew rest compartment (crew rest) is a section of an airliner dedicated for breaks and sleeping by crew members, usually located above or adjacent to the passenger compartment. Crew rest compartments are normally segregated, with separate compartments for the flight crew and the cabin crew.
On long flights, crew members may sleep in crew rest compartments during off-duty periods. Federal Aviation Regulations have provisions requiring crew rest areas be provided in order to operate a long flight by using multiple crew shifts.
Passengers are restricted from accessing crew rest compartments by regulations; their entrances may be secured by locks and may require ascending a ladder for access.
Crew rest compartments may not normally be used during taxi, takeoff, or landing maneuvers (TT&L). In flight crew rests that contain standard seats, an exception may be made to allow seated crew during TT&L.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines three classes of crew rest facilities, dependent on the number of crew and the duration of the flight. Crew rest periods may be provided in higher classed rest areas than required, for example some airplanes may not have a class 2 rest facility, providing breaks in a crew rest.
The FAA rest facility classifications from highest to lowest:
Crew rest design and safety considerations are similar between international regulators, for example the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations for access control, communications, and signage are similar to those of the FAA's. By following such regulatory Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements (which avoid contradictory minimum specifications), aircraft manufacturers can design crew rests to meet the requirements in many markets.


List of defunct airlines of Taiwan

This is a list of defunct airlines of Taiwan.


List of defunct airlines of Guatemala

This is a list of defunct airlines from Guatemala.


Turboshaft

A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust and convert it into output shaft power. They are even more similar to turboprops, with only minor differences, and a single engine is often sold in both forms.
Turboshaft engines are commonly used in applications that require a sustained high power output, high reliability, small size, and light weight. These include helicopters, auxiliary power units, boats and ships, tanks, hovercraft, and stationary equipment.
Overview.
A turboshaft engine may be made up of two major parts assemblies: the 'gas generator' and the 'power section'. The gas generator consists of the compressor, combustion chambers with ignitors and fuel nozzles, and one or more stages of turbine. The power section consists of additional stages of turbines, a gear reduction system, and the shaft output. The gas generator creates the hot expanding gases to drive the power section. Depending on the design, the engine accessories may be driven either by the gas generator or by the power section.
In most designs, the gas generator and power section are mechanically separate so they can each rotate at different speeds appropriate for the conditions, referred to as a 'free power turbine'. A free power turbine can be an extremely useful design feature for vehicles, as it allows the design to forgo the weight and cost of complex multiple-ratio transmissions and clutches.
An unusual example of the turboshaft principle is the Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 turbofan engine for the STOVL F-35B – in conventional mode it operates as a turbofan, but when powering the LiftFan, it switches partially to turboshaft mode to send 29,000 horsepower forward through a shaft and partially to turbofan mode to continue to send thrust to the main engine's fan and rear nozzle.
Large helicopters use two or three turboshaft engines. The Mil Mi-26 uses two Lotarev D-136 at 11,400 hp each, while the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion uses three General Electric T64 at 4,380 hp each.
History.
The first gas turbine engine considered for an armoured fighting vehicle, the GT 101 which was based on the BMW 003 turbojet, was tested in the Panther tank in mid-1944.
The first turboshaft engine for rotorcraft was built by the French engine firm Turbomeca, led by the founder, Joseph Szydlowski. In 1948, they built the first French-designed turbine engine, the 100-shp 782. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit, it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found a niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopters in the 1950s. In 1950, this work was used to develop the larger 280-shp Artouste, which was widely used on the Aérospatiale Alouette II and other helicopters. This was following the experimental installation of a Boeing T50 turboshaft in an example of the Kaman K-225 synchropter on December 11, 1951, as the world's first-ever turboshaft-powered helicopter of any type to fly. The T-80 tank, which entered service with the Soviet Army in 1976, was the first tank using a gas turbine as the main engine. Since 1980 the US Army has operated the M1 Abrams tank. Designed and built in the late 1970s, this tank makes use of a gas turbine engine compared to most tanks using reciprocating diesels. The engine has considerably fewer parts, mechanically is very reliable, produces reduced exterior noise, and runs on virtually any fuel: petrol (gasoline), diesel fuel, aviation fuels. Similarly, the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 was the first tank to utilize a gas turbine, in this case as a secondary, high-horsepower "sprint" engine to augment the primary piston engine's performance.


Showa Skiway


Douglas Municipal Airport (Georgia)

Douglas Municipal Airport is a public airport located two miles (3 km) south of the central business district of Douglas, a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Douglas.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Douglas Municipal Airport is assigned DQH by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
Facilities and aircraft.
Douglas Municipal Airport covers an area of which contains one asphalt paved runway (4/22) measuring 6,005 x 100 ft (1,830 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending March 29, 2006, the airport had 21,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 57 per day.
History.
Origins.
Aviation began in Douglas Georgia in 1928 when Dixie Airways opened a pilot school at the South Georgia College, a two-year or junior college. The institution claimed to be the only college in the United States with its own airport.
Wesley Newman Raymond, a World War I native of Nova Scotia, relocated to Macon, Georgia in 1936 where he owned an aircraft dealership and fixed-base operation. Raymond played a major role in the development of Macon's Herbert Smart Airport. In 1939, Raymond joined with Robert Richardson, forming the Raymond-Richardson Aviation Company. The new company established a Civil Pilot Training (CPT) flight school at the South Georgia College airport.
In early 1941, the United States Army Air Corps approached Raymond-Richardson about the possibility of operating a primary Contract Pilot School. The company preferred to locate the school at Macon, but too many other Air Corps activities already existed in the area. Douglas became the second choice because the company already had a school in place. The City of Douglas and Coffee County welcomed the proposal and floated a bond issue to finance a portion of the project. In May 1941, an additional were purchased to enlarge the airport. The construction of the cantonment area at Douglas Army Airfield was of concrete and tile buildings and began on 29 June 1941. The three hangars were constructed of steel. In addition to the main school at Douglas, the following auxiliary airfields were utilized:
World War II.
The Army Air Forces Training Command Eastern Flying Training Command's 63rd Army Air Force Flight Training Detachment was the Air Force unit assigned to Douglas AAF. The 63rd Army Air Forces Contract Pilot School received its first PT-17 Boeing Stearmans on 11 September 1941. The first class began on 7 October. With the start of the war, the Defense Plant Corporation bought the school. On 31 December 1941, the number of Stearmans present totaled 40.
By January 1942, eight barracks had been completed. With the start of the war, an expansion of the school's facilities began. Two auxiliary fields opened for operations in June and an enlargement of the ramp reached completion in July. By August, the Link trainer building, hangar No.3, additions to the mess hall, administration building, and flight control tower were ready for use. In October, two additional auxiliary fields and the gasoline storage tank were completed. By the end of 1942, the number of aircraft present had almost doubled to 78. Douglas had quite a distinction, in that the first class of the 1942 graduates from West Point received primary training here. Since the school did not have a swimming pool, cadets were allowed to use the pool at South Georgia State College, a short walk away.
As in every other primary Army school, peak training took place during 1943. The total number of flight cadets rose from 300 in January 1943 to 456 in November 1943. Likewise, the number of instructors increased from 78 to 120 and the number of aircraft peaked at 170. In December 1943, the reduction in flight training was beginning to make itself felt as the size of classes began to decrease. Training continued to decrease during 1944. After the last class graduated in December 1944, the school closed.
Following the war, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation utilized the airfield for the disposal of surplus Army and Navy aircraft.
Civil use.
The Cincinnati Reds baseball team used the school for a spring training facility from 1954 to 1957. The buildings of the school were used for a variety of purposes over the years that included a corset factory, elementary school, mental health facility, agricultural research laboratory, and local headquarters of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Today, the airfield is Douglas's municipal airport. Due to its substantial construction, the former cantonment area has many World War II buildings still in existence. Two of the original hangars also remain.


Deputy Commandant for Aviation

The Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA) is the United States Marine Corps' principle advisor on all aviation matters and is the spokesperson for Marine Corps Aviation programs, requirements, and strategy throughout the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense. DCA is normally the highest-ranking naval aviator in the Marine Corps and reports directly to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The role of DCA is an administrative position and has no operational command authority over United States Marine Corps Aviation forces.
DCA tour lengths have varied over the years based on war time requirements and personnel turnover. For the last two decades, typical tour lengths have been approximately three years. The billet is normally held by a lieutenant general. DCA and Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation work out of The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.
Responsibilities.
The Deputy Commandant for Aviation is responsible for developing, integrating, and supervising plans, policies, and budgets for all aviation assets and aviation expeditionary enablers (aviation command and control, aviation-ground support, and unmanned aircraft systems) in support of Marine air ground task forces.
History.
The Aviation Section, Headquarters Marine Corps was established in 1919. In charge initially was the Officer in Charge, Aviation. He was responsible to both the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Director of Naval Aviation for all Marine Corps related aviation matters. In 1920, Congress authorized Marine Corps Aviation to maintain a strength of approximately one-fifth the size of the Marine Corps. In 1936 the Aviation Section was renamed the Aviation Division and the billet was changed to the Director of Aviation. In 1962 the name was again changed to Deputy Chief of Staff (Air). The current moniker of Deputy Commandant for Aviation began in Jun 1998.


Kramatorsk Airport

Kramatorsk Airport, also known as Kramatorsk military airfield, is a military airfield in Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. The airbase is 3.4 km SSE from the centre of Kramatorsk and at about 20 km south of Slovyansk.
The airfield was captured by pro-Russian forces during the early phases of the War in Donbass in 2014.
On 15 April 2014 the airfield was recaptured by the Ukrainian military. Different sources stated the death toll up to 11.
On 10 June 2014 the Ukrainian military claimed that about 40 pro-Russian fighters were killed in a 3-hour battle.
As a result of attacks that were carried by pro-Russian forces on 10 February 2015 ten people were injured at the military base.


The U.S. Logistics Group


Alfred Price (author)

Alfred Price FRHistS, (1936 - January 29, 2017) was a popular author on aviation and related topics. He wrote over 40 books and 200 magazine articles.
Early life and education.
Price served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircrew officer. Price received his PhD in history from Loughborough University.
Career.
After his retirement from the air force, Price wrote extensively on aviation and military topics. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Death and legacy.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and died on January 29, 2017.


Igor Pasternak


BEA Airtours


43rd Air Refueling Squadron

The 43d Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 92nd Bombardment Wing, stationed at Fairchild AFB, Washington. It was inactivated in 1995.
History.
Air Transport Command.
Activated on 17 August 1942, the 43d Ferrying Squadron did not become operational at Accra Airport, British Gold Coast (now Ghana), Africa, until 4 December. As a unit of the 12th Ferrying Group, the 43d delivered combat and transport aircraft to British forces in the Middle East and later to U.S. forces in North Africa, but its major task was the transport of high priority cargo and personnel within the theater and as far east as Karachi, Pakistan. Redesignated the 43d Transport Squadron in March 1943, it disbanded on 30 September 1943 during a reorganization of Air Transport Command units in North Africa.
Strategic Air Command.
One of two refueling squadrons that the Strategic Air Command activated on 12 July 1948, the 43d Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, was the USAF's first air refueling unit.
The 43d AREFS began operations in January 1949, flying KB-29M Superfortress tanker aircraft from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The squadron refueled B-50s using the looped method developed by the British. In February 1949 supported the circumnavigation flight of the "Lucky Lady II", the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world. During the Korean War, the 43d sent aircrews to Far East Air Force to refuel fighter aircraft, at that time an experimental procedure. Deployed 21 March-5 June 1953 to RAF Lakenheath, England. In 1953, the 43d AREFS completed transition to new aircraft, the KC-97 Stratotanker, equipped with the recently developed Boeing flying boom. Deployed 18 September-9 December 1954 to RAF Fairford, England.
While the 43d was still at Davis-Monthan, a new wing was being organized at Larson AFB (Moses Lake), Washington. Headquarters, 4170th Strategic Wing was organized and established at Larson AFB on 1 July 1959 under the command of Lt Colonel Robert R. Johnston. Assisted by one master sergeant, the colonel's job was to pave the way for SAC's assumption of command of the base on 1 January 1960. The 4170th Wing was activated on 1 January 1960, with maintenance, support and medical units. Also on this date command of Larson was taken from Military Air Transport Service's 62nd Troop Carrier Wing. The 4170th Strategic Wing was a heavy bombardment organization to be equipped with B-52 Stratofortress bombers, KC-135 jet tankers and the HGM-25A Titan I Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles at a later date. On 8 April 1960, Colonel Everett W. Best assumed command of the Wing. Under the command of Colonel Best, the 4170th SW became a functional unit of the Strategic Air Command on 13 July 1960 upon assignment of the 327th Bombardment Squadron's crews and aircraft. The 43d Air Refueling Squadron was assigned to the 4170th on 15 November 1960 and changed its suffix from "Medium" to "Heavy" in preparation for transition to the KC-135A. The 43d AREFS flew its last KC-97 mission in October 1960. The first crews of the 43d arrived on 19 March 1961 from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and the first of the KC-135's arrived on 24 March 1961.
With this new aircraft, 43d aircrews over the next few years refueled aircraft virtually everywhere in the world. Aircraft and crews deployed temporarily to Guam, Alaska, Greenland, Spain, England, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Colonel David A. Tate assumed command of the 4170th Strategic Wing in November 1961 and, on 1 February 1963, when the wing was redesignated the 462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing, Colonel Tate became the commander of the newly designated unit. The redesignation of the wing was part of the Air Force's program to honor former units with outstanding combat records. In August 1964, 43d aircrews deployed to Clark AB, Philippines, to begin supporting combat in Southeast Asia. Before terminating this refueling support in December 1975, the 43d AREFS dedicated substantial resources to the Vietnam War.
Colonel Alex W. Talmant assumed command of the 462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing upon the retirement of Colonel Tate on 31 July 1965. Under his command Larson AFB was scheduled to be inactivated on 30 June 1966, with Wing phase out scheduled to be complete by 25 June 1966.
On 2 April 1966, the 43d moved from Larson to Fairchild AFB, Wash. In May–June 1980, the explosive volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens forced the suspension of operations from Fairchild for a month, but the 43d operated four tankers each from Beale AFB and Travis AFB, California. Once again, from 7 May to 8 August 1983, the squadron left Fairchild, deploying to Grant County Airport (formerly Larson AFB), Wash, while the Fairchild runway was repaired.
It was inactivated in 1995 as part of phasedown of USAF after the end of the Cold War.


Tom Wintringham

Thomas Henry Wintringham (15 May 1898 – 16 August 1949) was a British soldier, military historian, journalist, poet, Marxist, politician and author. He was a supporter of the Home Guard during the Second World War and was one of the founders of the Common Wealth Party.
Biography.
Early life.
Tom Wintringham was born 1898 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Balliol College, Oxford. In 1915 he was elected to a Brakenbury scholarship in History at Balliol, but during the First World War postponed his university career to join the Royal Flying Corps, serving as a mechanic and motorcycle despatch rider.
At the end of the war he was involved in a brief barracks mutiny, one of many minor insurrections which went unnoticed in the period. He returned to Oxford, and in a long vacation made a visit of some months to Moscow, after which he returned to England and formed a group of students aiming to establish a British section of the Third International, a Communist party. As the party was formed, Wintringham graduated from Oxford and moved to London, ostensibly to study for the bar at the Temple, but in fact to work full-time in politics.
Political career and the Spanish Civil War.
In 1923, Wintringham joined the recently formed Communist Party of Great Britain. In 1925, he was one of the twelve CPGB officials imprisoned for seditious libel and incitement to mutiny. In 1930, he helped to found the Communist newspaper, the "Daily Worker", and was one of the few named writers to publish articles in it. In writing for the Communist party's theoretic journal "Labour Monthly", he established himself as the party's military expert. In "LM" articles and in booklets on the subject, Wintringham formed the arguments against Air Assault and called for air raid precautions several years before the bombing of Guernica. His arguments were the basis for the most successful of the Communist Party's wartime campaigns, that for ARP provision, and shaped government policy on the issue in the years leading up to the war.
Although at the centre of the CPGB organisation, he was often at odds with Party policy, believing in a communism of alliance and co-operation, rather than the dominant Comintern ideology of "class against class". Wintringham's ideas became party dogma when the Comintern announced the 'Popular Front', a form of communism Wintringham was prepared to fight for.
In 1934, he became the founder, editor and major contributor of "Left Review", the first British literary journal with a stated Marxist intent. Although published by Wintringham and funded by the CPGB, it embraced writers of all shades of socialism, regardless of their party affiliations. The journal established a pattern for what was to become cultural studies.
At the start of the Spanish Civil War, Wintringham went to Barcelona as a journalist for the "Daily Worker", but he joined and eventually commanded the British Battalion of the International Brigades. Some socialist commentators have credited him with the whole idea of "international" brigades. He also had an affair with a US journalist, Kitty Bowler, whom he later married.
In February 1937 he was wounded in the Battle of Jarama. While injured in Spain he became friends with Ernest Hemingway, who based one of his characters upon him. He spent some months as a machine gun instructor. When he returned to the battalion the next summer he contracted typhoid, was again wounded at Quinto in August 1937 and was repatriated in October. His later book "English Captain" is based on these experiences.
In 1938, the Communist Party condemned Kitty Bowler as a Trotskyist spy but he refused to leave her: he quit the party instead. He came to mistrust the party's subservience to Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union and Comintern. Back in England, Tom Hopkinson recruited him to work for the magazine "Picture Post".
Second World War.
On returning from Spain, Wintringham began to call for an armed civilian guard to repel any Axis invasion, and as early as 1938 he had begun campaigning for what would become the Home Guard. He taught the troops tactics of guerrilla warfare, including a movement known as the 'Monkey Crawl'. They were also taught how to deal with dive bombers.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Wintringham applied for an army officer's commission but was rejected. When the Communist Party promulgated its policy of staying out of the war due to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, he strongly condemned their policies. Because of the appeasement policies of prime minister Neville Chamberlain, he also imagined the Tories to be Nazi sympathizers and wrote that they should be removed from office. He wrote for "Picture Post", the "Daily Mirror", and wrote columns for "Tribune" and the "New Statesman".
In May 1940, after the escape from Dunkirk, Wintringham began to write in support of the Local Defence Volunteers, the forerunner of the Home Guard. On 10 July, he opened the private Home Guard training school at Osterley Park, London.
Wintringham's training methods were mainly based on his experience in Spain. He even had veterans who had fought alongside him in Spain who trained volunteers in anti-tank warfare and demolitions. He also taught street fighting and guerrilla warfare. He wrote many articles in "Picture Post" and the "Daily Mirror" propagating his views about the Home Guard with the motto "a people's war for a people's peace".
The British Army determined that Wintringham was unreliable because of his communist past. After September 1940, the army began to take charge of the Home Guard training in Osterley and Wintringham and his comrades were gradually sidelined. Wintringham resigned in April 1941. Ironically, despite his activities in support of the Home Guard, Wintringham was never allowed to join the organisation itself because of a policy barring membership to Fascists and Communists.
In 1942, Wintringham proceeded to found a Common Wealth Party with Vernon Bartlett, Sir Richard Acland and J. B. Priestley. He received 48 percent of the vote at the Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election in February 1943, previously a safe Tory seat. In the 1945 general election he stood in the Aldershot constituency, the Labour Party candidate standing down to give him a clear race against the incumbent Conservative MP. His wife Kitty stood in the same Midlothian constituency that he had come so close to winning two years earlier, but neither was elected. After the war Wintringham and many of the founders of Common Wealth left and joined the Labour Party, suggesting the dissolving of CW.
Later life.
In his later years he worked mainly in radio and film, both producing documentary and critical programmes and writing criticism. He continued to write about military history, opposing the use and development of atomic weapons and championing Mao's China and Tito's Yugoslavia over the monolithic bureaucracy of the Soviet Union. While he recognised and opposed the purges and repression that marred the achievements of the Soviet Union, he never accepted that Stalin himself was complicit or responsible for them.
His later campaigns and writing were mainly centred on the formation of a 'World Guard' a neutral volunteer force (initially) to police Palestine and the partitioned India, and to be at the disposal of the United Nations.
Tom Wintringham died on 16 August 1949, aged 51, after a massive heart attack while he was staying with his sister at her farm at Owmby, Lincolnshire.


List of airlines of Argentina

This is a list of airlines which have an air operator's certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Argentina.


William Robson Brown

Sir William Robson Brown (1 September 1900 – 25 February 1975) was a British Conservative politician. He was elected in 1950 as the first Member of Parliament for the new Surrey constituency of Esher. Robson-Brown served until his retirement in 1970, preceding Carol Mather.


Air Forces of the Pacific Fleet