Thursday, 15 September 2016

Space the Final Frontier.

Vision to reach our neigbouring Star.

The idea is on the drawing board, after the discovery of a so called Goldie Locks planet orbiting a red dwarf star the nearest to us? This is still not a proven idea, but many want to get going with the Solar Sail concept?

Where does one start with all the problems of the new discoveries in our Solar System from the Kuiper belt to the now believed Ort Cloud. In fact there may be more dust between the stars than was first thought, so out goes Star Trek type space ships?

Niku and X9 are perhaps the reall next targets to investigate with a mission to both Neptune and Uranus. New Horizon is now half was to the Kuiper Belt with the first object cousing of Pluto in sight. Juno has arrived at Jupitor, a few pictures have been released but nothing more is being for the time?

It would be best to not jump to far and enjoy the discovery of what we know or can see to learn a bit more that our neigbourhood has to offer first?

Friday, 5 August 2016

Land Rover Defender, Returns. Part-One,

The Land Rover 110 Defender.

It was sad to hear that the British were dropping their most sucessful product, but some wise spark is now determined to continue the production of this range of 4x4 vehicles? 

Land Rovers do rule the world in the sense that they can be found in nearly every country and noe on this world, from the Series 1 to the many and various adaptions of the standard 90/110.

Between 1970 and 1990 the series did suffer some serious competition from Mercedes-Benz, but it was able to ovecome those unproductive years. Military and police sales have kept it very popular, with many options for Command, Riot-Control and Light-Armoured Cars.

The Landies are good at hauling and pulling and both in civil and military roles can tow boats to surface to air missile systems, radars and even at one time the Bloodhound Mark-II Surface to Surface missile. The ability to tow artillery and other radio-communications. The supply of spare parts and the size of enthusiates clubs, collecters is extensive world-wide.

Originaly desinged for the British SAS, the vehicle is easy to modify and adapt and in the civil role are already covered is up for a large variety of uses.


Thursday, 28 July 2016

Railways Future, One,

Still in demand?

Trains are still as popular as they ever where, from vintage steam to modern high-speed electrics to the most common diesels. Todays railways are getting a literal track revolution with the introduction of new types of materials and closer concreted sleeper sections, almost like building a model railway,

This whole new process has been developed to cut cost and time and it can be laid, while the older track is being removed. Many urban environments are choosing this option over the traditional methods and this is no longer limited to the modern world.

Railways are big business for the movement of freight, goods, materials and food and every nation that has a railway has the potential for great profit and expansion.

Signalling is perhaps the second difficulty for many to update, especially across the developing world? But with limited points and track crossings this may not be as bad as first would seem, radio cab communication and some of the older methods actually work better with the weather conditions than do the dependency on electricity with most modern one?

Submarines.

Still less Utilised.

The world of the submariner seems to remain in the hands of the military in relation to the commercial procurement of its use in shipping and travel?

Submarines can be developed to move cargo and is used on a limited scale for underwater tourism, but is it not time to harness this extra form of travel over that of air pollution and the expanse of the claimed carbon foot print.

Many robotic small subs are being harnessed daily by the scientific community to explore the depths, to search for sunken treasure and to do seabed pollution investigation.

Thursday, 7 July 2016

Corperate and Commercial Jets. Part-Two.

Not a new concept, but perhaps Improved.

The McDonnel-Douglas DC-8 and the Boeing 727-1/200 in the past have met the mark for many corperate heads such as Donald Trump. People really want space to move and live in while on long haul flights, it has been the Royal Saudi family who have taken to large commercial airlines and converted them in to their private business aircraft.

The Boeing 777-2/300 has met that demand today over the probal only alternative back in the day of the Boeing 747-1/200, and SP versions.

What does the future hold?


Private Airbus A380-8 or Boeing 787-8/9 or the new entry Airbus A350 may be the large coperate jets of the years to come, but the Gulfstream, Dassualt, Cessna and Beeches, Bombardier, Embraer, IAI, Mitsuibishi will remain wanted by the rest of us.

Meanwhile the plentiful of the Airbus A320' and Boeing 737-6/7/8's will still be meeting requirements along with their Russian equivilants Tupolev TU-204, Sukhoi Su-1/200 SuperJets?

Thursday, 23 June 2016

Corperate to Commercial Jets. Part-One.

Business to Small Airlines.

There is more of a demand today for the smaller commercial jet, than has ever been seen. 

The business jet offered from 8 to 20 seats, privacy and speed, but today with the success story of the Fairchild-Dornier 328J at 18-to 28 seats many manufacturers are now seeing a market for their aircraft?

Bombardier and Mitsubishi are taking the market off Boeing, Cessna, Gulfstram, Beech and Embraer, because they have designed the right size and seating capacity for the airlines. 

The Boeing 737-600 is still to big for many small airlines, while the Sukhoi S-100J Superjet still has to prove itself. Meanwhile the Airbus A319-100 and various versions have just not come up to the mark.

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Vehicle Carriers.

Vehicle Movers.

These are but some of the strangest ships on the worlds seas today, moving mostly cars and jeep types from country to country. 

Between 5-7000 vehicles may be carried and stabilisation of their loads are crucial in case of slippage, Many also carry mechanical excavation equipment and farm machinery.

This allows for choice of different types to be available across the world. some may be also carrying military vehicles under the guise of civil and other tracked type heavy vehicles. 

Civilian shipping covers a host of military exports and imports and this is seen across the board in commercial merchant shipping. Those thousands of containers, may contain more than meets the expected eye?