Nice

Nice Precision Turning And Machining photos

Nice Precision Turning And Machining photos

Klarm Machining

Some cool precision turning and machining photos:

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: principal hall panorama (P-40 et al)

Image by Chris Devers
See much more photographs of this, and the Wikipedia write-up.

Specifics, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Kittyhawk IA):

Regardless of whether recognized as the Warhawk, Tomahawk, or Kittyhawk, the Curtiss P-40 proved to be a effective, versatile fighter throughout the 1st half of World War II. The shark-mouthed Tomahawks that Gen. Claire Chennault’s &quotFlying Tigers&quot flew in China against the Japanese remain amongst the most popular airplanes of the war. P-40E pilot Lt. Boyd D. Wagner became the very first American ace of World War II when he shot down six Japanese aircraft in the Philippines in mid-December 1941.

Curtiss-Wright constructed this airplane as Model 87-A3 and delivered it to Canada as a Kittyhawk I in 1941. It served until 1946 in No. 111 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. U.S. Air Force personnel at Andrews Air Force Base restored it in 1975 to represent an aircraft of the 75th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force.

Donated by the Exchange Club in Memory of Kellis Forbes.

Manufacturer:
Curtiss Aircraft Organization

Date:
1939

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
All round: 330 x 970cm, 2686kg, 1140cm (10ft 9 15/16in. x 31ft 9 7/8in., 5921.6lb., 37ft four 13/16in.)

Components:
All-metal, semi-monocoque

Physical Description:
Single engine, single seat, fighter aircraft.

Nice Machining Manufacturer images

Nice Machining Manufacturer images

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Image from web page 1276 of “The Post-Workplace annual Glasgow directory” (1828)

Image by Internet Archive Book Photos
Identifier: postofficeannual188081gla
Title: The Post-Workplace annual Glasgow directory
Year: 1828 (1820s)
Authors:
Subjects:
Publisher: Glasgow : printed by J. Graham for the letter-carriers of the Post-Office
Contributing Library: National Library of Scotland
Digitizing Sponsor: National Library of Scotland

View Book Web page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Photos: All Photos From Book

Click here to view book on-line to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
nks in Pearl, Ivory, and Gold Scarf Pins, set with real stones in 14 Carat Gold »rooches. Lockets, and Silver Jewellery. Commercial ENTERPRISE. Recently there appeared a paragraph simultaneously in the London press, that Messrs. Grei&amp Cadbuky, of Birmingham, had sent to lady residents in London alone, in 1 day, upwards/158,000 sophisticated souvenirs of their patent linen button, The Very Button —Shakspeiontaining samples embossed in ten sizes on a ground of mauve and gold, and for which the!)f £329 12s. 6d. was paid in postage. This firm have constructed within the last two years the|ind most complete button manufactory, in its arrangements, in the United Kingdom emp|ipwards of 400 operatives, they turn out from 10,000 to 15,000 gross of buttons weekly (tilozen to the gross). Linen buttons, produced from the finest Belfast linens, tailors buttoniind plated livery, crest, and naval buttons, and other folks innumerable.—From the Eiiv^Maiir Sold by all Drapers. THE Quite BUTTON.—Shakspeare

Text Appearing Following Image:
Ask for ik??« Beioare of Spurious Imitations.m The Name GREEN and CADBURY is on ever!/ card. 34 APvGYLE STREET, GLASGC 192 Ads. ESTABLISHEDIS56. ■IS iipii ESTABLISHED1856. 5S CHAKliOTTE LANE. For making use of by Hand or Machine, Created and Manufacturedin Steel, Iron, Brass, &ampc. Of every description Engraved, but specially for Time Checks. Tallies,J j,._^ Labels, Patent and Registered Trade Marks, &ampc. -M Manufactured in all Metals—Hundreds ■■of Samples to select from. ,ABEL8, CHECKS, &ampc. STEEL STAMP Zr MARK MANUFACTURER For Edge Tools, Bar and Sheet Iron, Brass, AVood, &ampc. CAST STEEL LETTERS &amp FIGURES. Hundreds of Sets in Stock from one-sixteenth to half an inch. Fine—for Plans, Dimensions, &ampc.Large—for Shippers, Bags, Bales, Boxes, &ampc. STENCIL BRUSHES &amp Solid INK. Usually in Stock, ] .viOULDERS Pattern Letters, Name Plates, Sc. Hundreds of Sets, from one particular-fourth of an inch to two inches, often in Stock. CONFECTIONERS MOTTO STAMPS ^very

Note About Images
Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page photos that may have been digitally enhanced for readability – coloration and appearance of these illustrations may possibly not perfectly resemble the original work.

BOAC 707

Image by caribb
A Blast from the Previous – from slide to film then scanned..
-This was one more considerable trip for me…. the one particular that genuinely sparked my interest in aviation. It really is my very first trip that I have a conscious memory of.. YUL-LHR-YUL. I recall wanting to fly a VC-10, the plane of the day that was most fascinating for me however we ended up on a 707 which initially disappointed me…nevertheless, I loved it so significantly I never ever stopped searching at planes after. So here’s the BOAC 707 that quite considerably began it all for me back in August 1970. A Qantas 707 VJet was parked next to us. Every thing at Heathrow was incredible to me…it was my 1st airplane heaven LOL 🙂 No registration quantity though sadly.. not even certain of the variant. BOAC eventually merged with BEA and formed British Airways.

*Airplanes 101* (See Airplanes 101 Set)
Name: Boeing 707
Manufacturer: Boeing (USA)
Major Part: Massive Capacity long variety jet
Simple style: four wing mounted engines, single aisle narrow body jet.
Capacity: Roughly around 110-202 passengers
Range: 6820 – 6920km
Very first delivery date: 1958 (to Pan Am)
In Production: 1958-1979
Nevertheless in production in 2008: No
Effortlessly confused for: DC-8 series,
Major identifying points: The Antennae at the top of it is tail is the most recognizable feature of this aircraft. The fuselage looks like a stretched 737 and it has 4 little styled engines mounted on the wings..
Examples of Primary Operators: This aircraft was, along with the DC-eight, the principal inter-continental aircraft employed by airlines planet wide in the 1960s and 1970s. It was replaced by the Boeing 747, DC-ten, L1011 and A300 in the late 1970s and 1980s. Few examples are left flying these days. Numerous are cargo jets and most are situated in Asia, Africa and South America. Iran Air still flies a handful in their area. John Travolta purchased and revamped an old Qantas 707 and is flying it about the world these days. The tail would look like the tail in the photo about (Red tail to the proper of the BOAC 707 in the photo) That is likely your very best bet at seeing a single. The US military nevertheless flies a variant of the 707 as does NATO.
Key operators have been: Pan Am, TWA, American, Eastern, Northwest, Western, BOAC, Air France, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, Olympic, TAP, MEA, Iran Air, PIA, Air India, South African, Varig, Aerolineas Argentinas, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_707
www.airlinercafe.com/web page.php?id=72

Nice Turning Machining photos

Nice Turning Machining photos

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Tokyo J – Akihabra – Akihabara Electric Town 05

Image by Daniel Mennerich
Akihabara is a district in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. The name Akihabara is a shortening of Akibagahara (autumn leaf field), which in the end comes from Akiba, named right after a fire-controlling deity for a firefighting shrine constructed right after the location was destroyed by a fire in 1869.

Akihabara gained the nickname Akihabara Electric Town (Akihabara Denki Gai) shortly right after Planet War II for getting a key shopping center for household electronic goods and the post-war black marketplace.

Nowadays, Akihabara is regarded as by a lot of to be an otaku cultural center and a shopping district for video games, anime, manga, and personal computer goods. Icons from well-liked anime and manga are displayed prominently on the shops in the area, and several maid cafés are identified all through the district.

The location that is now Akihabara was as soon as near a city gate of Edo and served as a passage among the city and northwestern Japan. This created the area a property to a lot of craftsmen and tradesmen, as well as some low class samurai. 1 of Tokyo’s frequent fires destroyed the location in 1869, and the people decided to replace the buildings of the area with a shrine named Chinkasha, meaning fire extinguisher shrine, in an try to stop the spread of future fires. The locals nicknamed the shrine Akiba soon after a deity that could handle fire, and the region about it became identified as Akibagahara and later Akihabara.

In 1890, the Akihabara Station became a significant freight transit point, which allowed a vegetable and fruit industry to spring up in the district. Then, in the 1920s, the station saw a large volume of passengers following opening for public transport, and after Globe War II, the black market place thrived in the absence of a robust government. This disconnection of Akihabara from government authority has permitted the district to grow as a marketplace city and offered rise to an outstanding atmosphere for entrepreneurship. In the 1930s, this climate turned Akihabara into a future-oriented market place region specializing in household electronics, such as washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, and stereos, earning Akihabara the nickname &quotElectric Town&quot.

As household electronics began to drop their futuristic appeal in about the 1980s, the shops of Akihabara shifted their concentrate to house computers at a time when they were only utilized by specialists and hobbyists. This new specialization brought in a new sort of consumer, personal computer nerds or otaku.

The industry in Akihabara naturally latched onto their new client base that was focused on anime, manga, and video games. The connection among Akihabara and otaku has survived and grown to the point that the area is now identified worldwide as a center for otaku culture, and most otaku even contemplate Akihabara to be a sacred location.

arrive

Image by new 1lluminati
Paradise View of the Demon Realms:
Unenlightened Bardo Realms ~

In the Demon Realms the denizens think nothing of killing and devouring their fellow beings, even when they realize that their victims are self-conscious and really feel pain just as the demons do. Demons eat flesh not because they have to, but since they pick to. They train their young to wish the burned flesh of other individuals, so that it seems a all-natural appropriate for them to needlessly slaughter other beings at their whim.

Demons even contact the enslavement of terrified beings (whose unavoidable destinies are proclaimed to be absolutely nothing much more meaningful than to further fatten the demons’ stomachs) a noble ‘pastoral enterprise’, as they destroy Paradise to fatten their herds and turn fertile soil-wealthy lands full of diverse life-types into the barren wastelands of the Demon Realms. The rest of their food is tainted, half-rotted and often completely contrived from waste merchandise and toxic chemical compounds.

In the Demon Realms there is no clean fresh water. The demons add poisons to it just before they drink it and swim in chemical-laden water laced with their own urine and excrement.

In the Demon Realms there is neither silence nor peace. Noise envelopes the demonic hordes in a numbing cocoon and their time is crammed complete with needless anxiety and pointless – but destructive – activity. They never have adequate time to genuinely reflect on their existence or have a likelihood of changing it. Their overloaded senses grow to be dulled and jaded and the demons crave ever a lot more empty diversions and entertainments with ever-escalating levels of death, violence and other vividly distracting passions.

In the Demon Realms there is no object or living thing that hasn’t been placed there by demons. They all live inside the concretised manifestations of their demonic minds, in no way seeing something produced and planted by Nature. Every little thing they see, hear, smell, taste or touch has been erected by other demons.

In the Demon Realms they breathe smoke, poisons and fumes in an all-pervasive translucent cloud of sulfurous brimstone. They heat and chill the air with infernal combustion machines that add toxic chemical compounds and poisonous vapours to their atmospheres, and virtually everything is powered by machinery that poisons their air all the much more. The far more cunning and thoughtless demons blow hot, dead air and smoke out of their edifices, into the lungs of those who cannot afford to do the identical to them.

The demons see the globe as their oyster – not as a priceless pearl – and say it is their correct to destroy the beauty and bounty of nature – which they get in touch with ‘resources’. They expand the Demon Realms into the shrinking sanctuaries of Paradise with their endless rapacious activity. They think that may tends to make appropriate and that those with chunks of glittering metal torn from the Earth’s bosom deserve to rule and devour whatever they will. They believe that the demon with the greatest gun has the inherent right to all energy. They believe that God is on all their sides when they slaughter each other, and they are all correct in that belief.

In the Demon Realms the chief demons make continual war on every single other to preserve their demonic forces nicely entrained to be capable to wage more war, terror and death. The tribal demons fight for illusory symbols like flags and totems, to give them much more energy to release their hidden fears, bigotries and hatreds on absolutely everyone else. The greatest killers are praised as heroes.

In the Demon Realms no-one can trade or participate in life without employing imaginary symbols of Energy inscribed on paper, metal or congealed oil. Their emperor has no garments but it is mandatory to praise his glittering raiment.

In the Demon Realms almost everything not forbidden soon becomes compulsory.

In the Demon Realms everybody is ill and delusional, out of touch with Nature and their personal accurate natures. Most demons inexorably kill themselves with their daily suicidal behaviour and rarely live much more than a single century.

In the Demon Realms there are a handful of angels working to save Paradise and aid elevate all beings with their accurate possible.

They require YOU. Stick to the rainbow – along the Green middle path which leads by way of its centre!

These days a silver perch leaping from the stream, over and more than, following a dragonfly as it leapt from its element in pursuit of identified unknowns. A grey falcon swoops on the flock of guinea fowl and the peacocks ruffle their feathers. Black cockatoos greet the coming storm with loud articulate screeches that carry sentences of meaning with every second’s squawk.

We move timber and stone, soil and sand, and an old cast iron bathtub. A logger comes to see if there are and ‘cheap’ trees ‘for sale’. A handful of much more trees go into the ground when he’s gone, as Emerald catbirds and Wompoo pigeons celebrate his departure.

“See that mirror surface?” I say to Dave as we rest for a couple of minutes beneath the reforming rainforest canopy. The deep pool has stilled as the storm bird starts its escalating cry. “See that meniscus forming on the surface like a lens?”

“Sure,” Dave replies. “Just like a slightly curved mirror.”

“The water’s literally bulging upward toward the waters above – it’s an electrical phenomenon if you like, as the water strains to make make contact with with itself. It’s a relatively certain sign that we’re about to have a thunderstorm…” A few ripples begin to type on the nevertheless surface. “Are they falling up, do you suppose?”

The lightning arrives thirty seconds later.

Paradise is a forest – just beyond the open field of your vision in the Demon Realms – and all demons are forgetful angels.

– R. Ayana

From hermetic.weblog.com/2008/11/03/paradise-view-of-the-demon-r…

Be the New Illuminati @ newilluminati.blog-city.com

Nice Grinding Service photos

Nice Grinding Service photos

Klarm Machining

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Speyer – Technikmuseum Speyer – De Havilland Vampire Schweizer Luftwaffe J-1081

Image by Daniel Mennerich
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet fighter created and manufactured by de Havilland. Obtaining been developed throughout the Second Planet War to harness the newly created jet engine, the Vampire entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1945. It was the second jet fighter, following the Gloster Meteor, operated by the RAF and its very first to be powered by a single jet engine.

The RAF utilized the Vampire as a front line fighter until 1953 ahead of it assumed secondary roles such as pilot instruction. It was retired by the RAF in 1966, replaced by the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. It accomplished several aviation firsts and records, like getting the initial jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire had several export sales and was operated by various air forces. It participated in subsequent conflicts such as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Malayan emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War.

Virtually three,300 Vampires had been manufactured, a quarter of them built under licence in other countries. The Royal Navy’s 1st jet fighter was the Sea Vampire, a navalised variant which was operated from its aircraft carriers. The Vampire was created into the DH.115 dual-seat trainer and the much more advanced DH.112 Venom ground-attack and night fighter.

Chantilly VA – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center – Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk 01

Image by Daniel Mennerich
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that initial flew in 1938. The P-40 style was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced improvement time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was employed by the air forces of 28 nations, including those of most Allied powers for the duration of World War II, and remained in front line service until the end of the war. It was the third most-developed American fighter, soon after the P-51 and P-47 by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s major production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

Donald S. Lopez, Sr. ( July 15, 1923 — March three, 2008) was a former U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force fighter and test pilot and until his death the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Chantilly VA – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center – Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk 02

Image by Daniel Mennerich
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that initial flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the earlier Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced improvement time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was employed by the air forces of 28 nations, including these of most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in front line service till the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter, soon after the P-51 and P-47 by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been constructed, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s primary production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

Donald S. Lopez, Sr. ( July 15, 1923 — March three, 2008) was a former U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force fighter and test pilot and until his death the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Nice Turned Components Manufacturer images

Nice Turned Components Manufacturer images

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Championnat Européen de DRIFT – Bordeaux Mérignac Gironde 13 et 14 septembre 2014 – BMW M3 – Moteur Engine Puissance Power Car Speed Vitesse – Picture Image Photography – King of Europe KOE turbo oil huile frein brake transmission www.supercar-roadtrip.fr

Image by SuperCar-RoadTrip.fr
Bordeaux race track makes its return on the calendar with a very nice and curvy layout. France is a big motorsport nation and with this event running just 1 week before the final, it means all the best drivers will be in attendance on this demanding circuit.
www.kingofeurope.net/2014b/index.php/component/ohanah/pro…

www.supercar-roadtrip.fr/
La M3 e30 en compétition
BMW M3 E30 en course.
BMW M3 E30 en DTM (ici lors du Essen Motor Show 2011).

Parmi les nombreux préparateurs qui la développèrent et l’engagèrent, l’équipe britannique PRODRIVE de David Richards, connu son heure de gloire avec cette voiture.

Elle gagna à 4 reprises la fameuse course d’endurance des 24 Heures de Spa (1987, 1988, 1990 et 1992).

En rallyes, elle remporta la première manche du championnat du monde à laquelle elle participa : le Tour de Corse 1987, entre les mains du français Bernard Béguin (avec plus de deux minutes d’avance sur son compatriote Yves Loubet). Avec la M3, Béguin fut vice-champion de France des rallyes en 1987 et 1988.

Toujours en rallye, citons aussi :

ses deux titres en Championnat de Belgique des rallyes (BRC): en 1988 avec Patrick Snijers, vice-champion d’Europe la même année et 1989 grâce à Marc Duez. ;

ses deux titres en Championnat de France des rallyes (CFR) : en 1989 et 1990 pour François Chatriot.

Courses sur glace : les deux victoires aux 24 heures sur glace de Chamonix en 1991 et 1992 avec Marcel Tarrès (2), Christian Debias (1) et B. Béguin (1) et les trois autres victoires de M. Tarrès -seul cette fois- à la Ronde de Serre Chevalier en 1991, 1992 (version 4×4) et 1993 (4×4) dans le cadre du Trophée Andros.

Au final, la M3 e30 remporta 16 victoires en CFR entre 1987 et 1990, 7 en BRC ,et 9 en ERC avec des pilotes français (6 avec des belges). Dans la foulée Pascal Thomasse obtint deux podiums en Championnat de France D2, en 1990 et 1994.

Elle était déclinée tant en version "Groupe N" qu’en "Groupe A".

Elle est à l’heure actuelle toujours utilisée par de nombreux pilotes amateurs, partout en Europe (entre’autres en Coupe de France des rallyes, où elle s’est imposée sans discontinuer entre 1990 et 1995, puis en 1998 (E30 et E36): Hugues Delage obtint les coupes 1990, 1993 et 1994, et Dominique de Meyer celle de l’année 1991 et la finale de 1995 (Christophe Lapierre vainqueur de la coupe 1992, et Patrick Rouillard de celle 1998 pour la dernière fois de l’évolution M3); au Liban Nabil Karam s’est imposé en 1991).

En Championnat d’Europe de course de côte, elle a remporté le titre de Catégorie I à cinq reprises consécutives avec Francis Dosières entre 1989 et 1993 (voiture homologuée Gr.A); s’en suivirent de nombreux autres titres toujours de Catégorie I pour les versions ultérieures de la M3 Gr.A, avec le tchèque Otakar Krámský (1995, 1997 et 1998), le croate Niko Pulić (1999, 2000 et 2001), le tchèque Robert Šenkýř (2003 et 2004) et l’allemand Jörg Weidinger (2005 et 2006), soit 15 titres de championne d’Europe entre 1989 et 2006. Le Challenge international de la montagne (FCHA) de la FIA ne lui a pas non plus échappé, avec le hongrois László Hernádi (2006, 2007 et 2008).

En Tourisme et Grand Tourisme, le titre mondial Tourisme 1987 (le seul attribué durant 18 ans) revint à l’italien Roberto Ravaglia (victoires de la M3 à Jarama, Dijon, aux 24 Heures de Spa, et à Silverstone), le Championnat d’Europe FIA des voitures de tourisme fut remporté en 1987 par Winfried Vogt (plus titre constructeurs) et en 1988 par Roberto Ravaglia, le Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (D.T.M.) pilotes (Tourisme) fut gagné en 1987 par Eric van de Poele et en 1989 encore par Roberto Ravaglia (plus les titres constructeurs de 1987 à 1990), le BTCC (British Touring Cars Championship) le fut par deux fois avec Frank Sytner (1988) et Will Hoy (1991, et titre constructeur), le Championnat de France de Supertourisme le fut aussi par deux fois grâce à Jean-Pierre Malcher (1989 et 1990; plus Dayraut en 2001 sur la version Silhouette), et le titre national Belge Grand Tourisme 1996 revint à l’équipage Hubert/Hubert/Duez; la voiture remporta notamment les 24 Heures du Nürburgring en 1989 (avec Ravaglia), 1990, 1991 et 1992 (Duez alors lauréat), puis 1994, 1996 et 1997 (E36 pour les deux dernières dates), et les 24 Heures de Spa en 1987, 1988 (avec Ravaglia), 1990 et 1992.

Ravaglia a ainsi pu obtenir le WTCC (1987), l’ETCC (1988) et le DTM (1989) avec la M3. Dans la foulée il a aussi remporté le Campionato Italiano Superturismo en 1990 et 1991 (16 victoires en deux ans). Sa première grande victoire sur M3 avait été au Grand Prix automobile de Macao, en 1987.

M3 E36 (1992-1999)
M3 E36
BMW M3
Marque BMW
Années de production 1992-1999
Production 71 242 exemplaires
Classe Sportive, GT,
Moteur et transmission
Moteur(s) S50B30 (3.0l) / S50B32 (3 2 l)
Puissance maximale 210 kW soit 286 ch (3 l) et 236 kW soit 321 ch (3,2 l) ch
Couple maximal 350 Nm à 3 200 tr/min Nm
Transmission propulsion
Poids et performances
Poids à vide 1 460 kg pour la 3.0l et 1 474 kg pour la 3.2l kg
Vitesse maximale 290 km/h
Accélération 0 à 100 km/h en 5,4 s pour la 3.2l et 5,7 s à 6 s pour la 3.0l s
Consommation mixte Ville/route/mixte : 16,9 / 7,5 / 11,0 L/100 km
Châssis – Carrosserie
Carrosserie(s) coupé (2 portes), sedan (4 portes) et cabriolet (2 portes)
Suspensions Pseudo MacPherson avant/ multi bras arrière
Dimensions
Longueur 4 430 mm
Largeur 1 710 mm
Hauteur 1 340 mm
Chronologie des modèles
Précédent BMW M3 E30 BMW M3 E46 Suivant
modifier Consultez la documentation du modèle

La M3 E36, commercialisée à partir de 1992 n’a plus grand-chose à voir avec la version précédente : l’E30. En effet, d’un point de vue esthétique, la ligne est entièrement revue.

Mais c’est au niveau du moteur que la division "M" de BMW a effectué les plus gros changements : le 4 cylindres de l’E30 est remplacé par un 6 cylindres en ligne de 3 L et gagne ainsi, dans un premier temps, plus de 50 chevaux pour atteindre, sur la première version d’E36, 286 ch. D’autre modifications apparaissent en 1996 avec un 6 cylindres de 3,2 l équipé d’une épure binaire circulaire variable grâce au « vanos », qui lui confère un couple incroyable de 350 Nm. La puissance atteint les 321 ch accouplés à une boîte 6 vitesses, deuxième changement majeur de cette nouvelle version d’E36 M3. Elle a d’ailleurs été élue voiture du XXe siècle par le magazine Auto Plus, et voiture la plus maniable de l’époque par Car and Driver Magazine.

M3 E46 (2000-2006)
BMW M3 E46
BMW M3
Marque BMW
Années de production 2001-2006
Classe Sportives, GT
Moteur et transmission
Moteur(s) Essence 6 en ligne 3 246 cm3
Puissance maximale 3431 ch
Couple maximal 3652 Nm
Transmission Propulsion
Poids et performances
Poids à vide 1 4853 kg
Vitesse maximale 300 km/h
Accélération 0 à 100 km/h en 5,24 s
Consommation mixte 12.1 L/100 km
Émission de CO2 292 g/km
Châssis – Carrosserie
Carrosserie(s) Coupé et Cabriolet
Suspensions ???
Dimensions
Longueur 4 492 mm
Largeur 1 780 mm
Hauteur 1 370 mm
Chronologie des modèles
Précédent M3 E36 M3 E92 Suivant
modifier Consultez la documentation du modèle

La M3 E46 présente des attributs esthétiques évocateurs : ailes enflées, larges prise d’air, capot bosselé, petit becquet arrière, deux doubles sorties d’échappement, jantes 18" (19" en option), mais l’ensemble se veut haut de gamme et plutôt raffiné. À bord, en revanche, rien de neuf, la M3 se démarque très peu d’un coupé Série 3. Au niveau du moteur, elle possède une mécanique bien peu ordinaire. En effet, le six-cylindres 3,2 L de la version précédente est reconduit mais a gagné 45 cm3, 22 ch et 1,3 mkg de couple, obtenus 1 650 tr/min plus haut. Avec un rendement exceptionnel de 106 ch/litre, ce bloc vient rejoindre le podium des meilleurs « atmos » du moment, juste derrière la Honda S2000 et la Ferrari 360 Modena. Au-delà des chiffres, la disponibilité de cette mécanique sur une large plage d’utilisation réjouit tout autant que sa sonorité sportive à souhait. Un bouton "sport" au tableau de bord améliore la réponse des injecteurs et permet une conduite encore plus active. Au tableau de bord, un compte-tours "thermostatique" vous aide à prendre soin du bijou. Moteur froid, des diodes orange ponctuent chaque 500 tr/min à partir de 4 000 tr/min. Elles s’éteignent ensuite une à une quand le moteur monte en température. Avec ses 343 ch, elle effectue le 0 à 100 km/h en 5"25, 80 à 120 en 5"4 (en 4e). Cette nouvelle version ne fait pas beaucoup mieux que la précédente car elle a grossi et son rapport poids/puissance reste donc inchangé. Niveau consommation, la M3 E46 consomme 11,5 L/100 km, mais peut consommer jusqu’à 60 L/100 km en activant régulièrement le bouton "sport" sur le tableau de bord. En ce qui concerne le freinage, talon d’Achille des BMW M, comme sur l’ancienne version, les quatre grands disques sont suffisants en temps normal, mais leur efficacité est rapidement mise à mal en rythme soutenu pour stopper les 1 500 kg de cette sportive. La M3 E46 perpétue avec brio la réputation liée à son nom. Plus facile et abordable qu’auparavant, elle conserve un rapport prix/performances avantageux.

M3 E90/E92 (2007-2013)
BMW M3 (E92)
BMW M3
Marque BMW
Années de production 2007-2012
Classe Sportive, GT
Moteur et transmission
Moteur(s) Essence V8 4,0 l
Puissance maximale 309 kW soit 420 ch
Couple maximal 400 Nm
Transmission Manuelle 6 rapports
Propulsion
Poids et performances
Poids à vide 1 655 kg
Vitesse maximale 310 km/h
Accélération 0 à 100 km/h en 4,8 s
Consommation mixte 12,76 L/100 km
Émission de CO2 287 à 2927 g/km
Châssis – Carrosserie
Carrosserie(s) coupé 2 portes, berline 4 portes et cabriolet
Suspensions Ressorts hélicoïdaux
amortisseurs à gaz
barre antiroulis
Dimensions
Longueur 4 620 mm
Largeur 1 800 mm
Hauteur 1 420 mm
Chronologie des modèles
Précédent BMW M3 E46 BMW M4 F32 Suivant
modifier Consultez la documentation du modèle

Cette génération de BMW M3 se positionne comme la rivale de l’Audi RS4 (pour la E90) et de l’audi RS5 (pour la E92), mais aussi de la Mercedes C63 AMG
Performances

S’offrant pour la première fois un moteur à 8 cylindres en V de série, installé en position centrale avant, cette quatrième génération de M3 développe 420 ch à 8 300 tr/min et abat ainsi le 0 à 100 km/h en 4,8 s. Constitué d’un bloc en alliage d’aluminium et de silicium, le moteur de la BMW M3 affiche une puissance spécifique de 105 ch par litre de cylindrée. Son couple maximum atteint les 400 Nm à 3 900 tr/min, dont 85 % délivré sur une plage de plus de 6 500 tr/min. La M3 se dote en effet d’une distribution variable de 8 papillons de gaz et d’un alternateur débrayable.
Séries limitées

En novembre 2009, BMW lance la M3 GTS limitée à 250 exemplaires. Sur le plan des performances, elle garde son V8 dont la puissance a été amenée à 450 ch. Sur le plan de l’esthétique, elle se pare d’une couleur orange exclusive avec un aileron typé course. À l’intérieur, BMW adapte la recette qui a fait le succès de la Porsche 911 GT3 RS : pas de GPS, ni de climatisation et des lanières en guise de poignées de portes. Enfin, le coupé perd ses deux places à l’arrière, et les remplace par un arceau-cage couleur carrosserie, un extincteur de course, donnant l’impression qu’il s’agit plus d’une bête de course qu’une voiture de tous les jours. Elle est d’ailleurs souvent comparée à la BMW M3 GTR E46.

L’année suivante, BMW dévoile la M3 Frozen Gray. Produite à seulement trente exemplaires, et seulement aux États-Unis, elle se reconnaît par sa teinte grise matte (référencée comme Frozen Gray chez BMW), ses jantes 19 pouces à l’extérieur, et son cuir bi-ton roux et noir à l’intérieur. Le moteur conserve ses 420 chevaux, mais la boîte DCT à double embrayage est fournie de série. Tout acheteur de cette Frozen Gray se verra offrir un stage de la BMW Performance Driving School.

En juin 2011, un modèle encore plus exclusif la CRT (pour Carbon Racing Technology), basé sur la M3 Saloon E90 fait la part belle au carbone, permettant la perte de 45 kg, le tout en gardant les équipements de confort (GPS et climatisation) qui font d’elle une berline de luxe. Elle est produite à seulement 67 exemplaires, le moteur garde ses 420 chevaux, mais il s’agit de la première édition spéciale de la M3 qui n’est disponible qu’en berline 4 portes. Toutefois, il faut noter qu’à l’arrière, ce ne sont plus trois personnes, mais deux personnes qui pourront s’y asseoir, dans deux beaux sièges baquets. Elle se reconnaît par sa teinte grise matte son cuir rouge, et ses jantes Full Black.

En 2012, BMW sort 3 séries spéciales de sa M3 en France. La M3 CS, la M3 Frozen 40 et la M3 DTM Champion Edition. La M3 CS, exclusivement française, se distingue par une teinte bleue matte éclatante (Frozen Blau), ainsi que par son intérieur aux surpiqûres bleues, avec une touche de rouge sur le volant. Il s’agit d’une version dépouillée, spécialement destinée aux virées sur circuit. La M3 Frozen 40, elle, a été créée pour toute l’Europe, et célébrait les 40 ans de BMW Motorsport. Elle se distingue à l’extérieur d’une M3 « normale » grâce à une calandre chromée, ainsi que des sorties d’échappement et des ouïes latérales noires. La version Frozen 40 dispose aussi de 4 coloris spécifiques mats, toutes nommées Frozen, que ce soit en bleu, bleu foncé, blanc ou rouge. À l’intérieur, la sellerie est exclusive, et les surpiqûres sont assorties à la teinte extérieure. Enfin, la version M3 DTM Champion Edition est un hommage à Bruno Spengler, le pilote canadien victorieux du championnat allemand DTM sur BMW M3. Elle est très facilement reconnaissable, grâce à sa teinte matte Frozen Black, ses bandes de pavillon aux couleurs de Motorsport, ainsi que le sticker sponsor sur la vitre de custode. Les jantes full black rajoutent une touche d’agressivité à la voiture. À l’intérieur, les inserts en carbone reçoivent la signature de Bruno Spengler, ainsi qu’une numérotation. Seulement 54 exemplaires seront produits.

The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3-Series, developed by BMW’s in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46, E90/E92/E93, and F30 3-series, and sold with coupe, saloon and convertible body styles. Upgrades over the "standard" 3-Series automobiles include more powerful and responsive engines, improved handling/suspension/braking systems, aerodynamic body enhancements, and interior/exterior accents with the tri-colour "M" (Motorsport) emblem. The last M3 coupe was produced in Germany on 5 July 2013. Part of BMW’s renumbering to move the 3-Series coupe and convertible to the 4-Series, the M3 name will remain with the saloon version as the coupe version has ceased production and has been replaced by the M4 Coupe starting with the 2015 model year.

E92 M3 ZCP Competition Package

For 2011, BMW added the ZCP Competition Package to the M3’s lineup. Unlike the ZCP offered on the previous generation E46, the newest package didn’t change very much about the E92. Most of the adjustments were made to suspension components and the computer governing stability control. The changes for the E92 ZCP are as follows:

– The suspension has been lowered by 10mm. The spring rates are the same, but the springs themselves are shorter, to compensate for the shorter stance. The suspension’s shock damping was also adjusted by the M division. This was in order to compensate for the lower ride height, primarily for rebounding damping rates as opposed to actual compression.

– The Electronic Damper Control in the “Sport Mode” has been modified. A quote taken from the Manager of BMWNA’s M Division, Larry Koch: “The Sport Mode before ZCP was locked at 75% of the way to full stiff. It still has that as a default, but is now variable like the ‘Comfort’ and ‘Normal’ modes.” This translates to a stiffer ride whilst sport mode is engaged, aiding heavy cornering on a track at a cost to ride comfort when driving normally on the road.

– Modifications have been made to the computer governing the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) in M Dynamic Mode. It is reworked and renamed to “Dynamic Traction Control” (DTC) which allows for larger angles of slip in heavy cornering. This translates to the rear end sliding out further than would be allowed on a non-ZCP M3 before the DTC kicks in to stop the tail slide. Also, once the DTC does kick in, instead of cutting power to the wheels in order to correct the slide (which is normal for the DSC on stock M3s), the DTC computer instead applies the brakes to individual wheels in order to keep the car from spinning excessively.

– In addition, forged 19 inch wheels in the same style as those on the E46 CSL are added to the car.
E92 M3 GTS
M3 GTS at the Autosport International Show 2011.

BMW announced the M3 GTS in November 2009. The car is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 based on the 4.0-litre engine found in the standard M3, which produces a maximum of 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp). The car weighs 300 pounds less than the standard M3 due to various weight savings. A total of only 250 units were produced. This can accelerate from 0-62 mph in just 4.3 seconds and 0-100 mph in 8.5 seconds. In Germany deliveries began in May 2010 while other countries were scheduled for the summer of 2010. The BMW E92 M3 GTS was priced at around €115,000 per unit. All E92 M3 GTS models have been sold.
E90 M3 CRT

The M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) was announced in June 2011 as a 2012 model. It is powered by the same engine as the GTS, but in opposite to the GTS coupe with roll cage and 4-point harnesses, the CRT is a saloon with navigation, high-end sound system etc. as standard equipment. Despite these luxury extras, the car still weighs 100 lb (45 kg) less than a regular M3 saloon. Compared to a saloon with the same luxury equipment, it weighs 155 lb (70 kg) less. The production will be limited to 67 cars, all numbered with a plaque on the dashboard. And it is claimed that it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds.
E92 M3 DTM Champion Edition

BMW Motorsport returned to the DTM in 2012, and the "DTM Champion Edition" was built to commemorate it winning the championship. The "DTM Champion Edition" was available only in the Frozen Black paint finish with the same M stripes over the roof and boot lid as on Bruno Spengler’s race car. It also incorporated visual clues to the race car, such as carbon flaps and gurney, dark chrome elements and matt black wheels. The interior had some exclusive parts such as interior trim in carbon fibre, Alcantara steering wheel and "M Power" embroidered on the handbrake grip. Each car had a numbered plaque with Spengler’s signature and the text "DTM champion 2012" above the glove box.

As the car was focused on high performance, options as M Drive, M DCT Drivelogic and the M Driver’s Package were fitted as standard equipment. For the car to have everyday usability, options as navigation system, heated seats and PDC were also standard.

The DTM Champion Edition was produced from February 2013, in a limited number of 54 cars, the same number as BMW’s victories in DTM. In Germany, the price started at €99,000.00 including VAT.
E92 M3 Lime Rock Park Edition

The M3 Lime Rock Park Edition was a US specific model, with a production limited to 200 cars, painted in Fire Orange. All 200 of these 2013 vehicles came with carbon fiber performance parts, such as roof, front splitter, rear spoiler, competition package, a lowered ride height in front of .60 inches, track style steering with fewer turns to lock and a lightweight muffler, courtesy of BMW’s MGmbh division. BMW claims the model has no added horsepower, however, when marketing the lightweight Inconel-titanium BMW Motorsports Exhaust to stock M3 vehicles, BMW Claims that the system adds about 5 H.P. The Lime Rock Park editions were equipped with either 6 speed transmissions, or the optional DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission). No changes made to the original 4.0L V8 (414 HP, redline 8300 rpm); however the ECU is programmed slightly differently from standard M3 vehicles with less interference from the dynamic stability control and a less interfering traction control. Each LRP edition’s governor is limited for achieving its natural top speed, which is claimed to be 187 MPH (Roughly 300 kph). Each M3 LRP Edition comes with a numbered plaque and paper certificate, each one reading "One of 200" instead of a numbering sequence. BMW did this to ensure none of the cars were worth more than another.
Racing
Rahal Letterman M3 GT2 racing at the 2009 Petit Le Mans
Schnitzer Motorsport’s BMW M3 GT2 racing at the 2010 1000 km of Zhuhai.
E92 M3 GT2

BMW Motorsport announced in February 2008 that Rahal Letterman Racing will campaign two factory-backed E92 M3s in the American Le Mans Series in 2009, following a two-year absence by the brand. The cars are homologated for the GT2 category. This was the cover car for the simulation racing game Need for Speed: Shift. Schnitzer Motorsport entered 2 cars at the 1000 km of Spa and finished 4th after a move by the Ferrari in the final corner. For 2010, BMW Motorsport has been granted entry in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the 2010 24 Hours Nürburgring. BMW Motorsport/Schnitzer Motorsport went onto to take an overall win at the 24 Hours Nürburgring with the #25 M3 GT2 of Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Pedro Lamy, and Uwe Alzen while the top competitors from Porsche and Audi dropped out one by one. In addition, one of the M3 GT2’s that competed at Le Mans (#79) has been chosen as the 17th BMW Art Car, which will be done by American artist, Jeff Koons. At the 2010 24 Hours of Spa, BMW qualified 1st in class (2nd overall) and maintained 1st with the #79 car throughout the race until it succumbed to a suspension failure with just half an hour remaining, forcing them to give the overall lead to two Porsche 997 GT3-RSRs. The M3s still came 1st in the GTN class. The BMW M3s won the GT2 category in the ILMC 1000 km of Zhuhai. In 2011, the BMW achieved a 1-2 finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring. In the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT class, BMW Team RLL swept all categories, winning the GT manufacturer, team and driver championships. They contest another year in the ALMS GT class, coming off of another fantastic win at the 2012 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. The M3 GT2 was succeeded by the BMW Z4 GTE, an LMGTE specification racing car alongside the Group GT3 spec BMW Z4 GT3. The Z4 GTE started racing at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring.
E92 M3 GT4

On 10 April 2009, the week after the debut of the GT4, BMW’s Customer Racing program announced it had partnered with Schubert Motorsport (sponsored by Motorsport Arena Oschersleben) to run the BMW M3 GT4 in the 2009 24 Hours Nürburgring race, in the new class for GT4 cars, listed as SP10 there. The BMW M3 GT4 also raced in the Nürburgring VLN ADAC Westfalenfahrt in April 2009, taking the win in the SP10 class and finishing 30th overall. The 2009 24h race took place on the weekend of 23 and 24 May, with Jörg Müller, Andy Priaulx and sport auto journalist Jochen Übler at the wheel. Despite qualifying as best SP10/GT4 car at 57th overall and being at least 10 seconds per lap faster, the team finished third in the class, behind two Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24. The overall rank was 47th.

BMW Motorsport announced on 7 July 2009 the launch of a line of BMW M3 race cars which meet the SRO/FIA’s GT4 spec and are oriented for sale to private teams and drivers. The BMW M3 GT4 price is 121,500 EUR without VAT. While BMW states that ‘the BMW M3 GT4 weighs just 1,430 kilograms’ and the ‘420 bhp engine remained largely untouched’, the 2010 24 Hours Nürburgring "Balance of Performance" requires that the power must not exceed 390 PS (385 HP), while the minimum weight is set to 1400 kg.

The M3 GT4 is offered in Europe as a homologated production race car for sale to the general public. According to Larry Koch, then BMW NA M-brand manager, a feasibility study is currently being conducted to evaluate the possible sale of the M3 GT4 in North America. However, without a sanctioned GT4-class racing series in the USA, the sale of the M3 GT4 in the States is not likely.
Critical reception

Arthur St. Antoine of Motor Trend magazine says: "World’s single greatest car? Seriously? Yes – the new BMW M3 is unquestionably a contender. Probably no other car combines so many virtues – speed, handling, good looks, roominess, practicality – into one package. Driving the new BMW M3 is an absolutely blissful experience, flooding your brain with dopamine as if you were arriving to courtside seats at the Lakers game with Jennifer Connelly on your arm." -and- "If you put an F1 car and a premium sedan in a blender, the M3 would be the cocktail that pours out. Mmmm, nothing else like it. A toast then: To the BMW M3, the greatest all-around car in the world."
Mark Gillies of Car and Driver magazine says: "A car has got to be pretty spectacular to win over the curmudgeons here at 1585 Eisenhower Place, especially when familiarity sets in over the course of 40,000 miles. But our Sparkling Graphite Metallic M3 did indeed win us over.", and "Based on our experience, the current M3 is the world’s all-around best car for the money, although several staffers would have preferred to trade some of the coupe’s looks for the added practicality of the sedan.", and "This is the finest car on the market, period."
Ezra Dyer of Automobile magazine once suggested that "…car magazines generally regard the M3 the same way a four-year-old regards Santa Claus."
Jeremy Clarkson of BBC television show Top Gear says: "This [The M3] is the best car, and always will be, and there’s no point in ever thinking otherwise."
Mark Magrath of Edmunds Inside Line wrote these comments after driving a 2009 E90 M3 saloon in the canyons of Southern California: "This is the best most complete car in the world. It’s actually a bargain for what you get. Wow."
In the high-performance sports luxury niche (an entry-level luxury/compact executive car with a V8 engine), the E90 M3 (usually an E92 M3 Coupé being tested) has won comparison tests against rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, Lexus IS-F, Audi RS4, Audi RS5 and Cadillac CTS-V.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: P-40 Warhawk & F-4 Corsair hanging over the SR-71 Blackbird, among others

Image by Chris Devers
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Kittyhawk IA):

Whether known as the Warhawk, Tomahawk, or Kittyhawk, the Curtiss P-40 proved to be a successful, versatile fighter during the first half of World War II. The shark-mouthed Tomahawks that Gen. Claire Chennault’s "Flying Tigers" flew in China against the Japanese remain among the most popular airplanes of the war. P-40E pilot Lt. Boyd D. Wagner became the first American ace of World War II when he shot down six Japanese aircraft in the Philippines in mid-December 1941.

Curtiss-Wright built this airplane as Model 87-A3 and delivered it to Canada as a Kittyhawk I in 1941. It served until 1946 in No. 111 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. U.S. Air Force personnel at Andrews Air Force Base restored it in 1975 to represent an aircraft of the 75th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force.

Donated by the Exchange Club in Memory of Kellis Forbes.

Manufacturer:
Curtiss Aircraft Company

Date:
1939

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
Overall: 330 x 970cm, 2686kg, 1140cm (10ft 9 15/16in. x 31ft 9 7/8in., 5921.6lb., 37ft 4 13/16in.)

Materials:
All-metal, semi-monocoque

Physical Description:
Single engine, single seat, fighter aircraft.

• • • • •

See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird’s performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight’s conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

Designer:
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson

Date:
1964

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)

Materials:
Titanium

Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys; vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-type material) to reduce radar cross-section; Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature large inlet shock cones.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Vought F4U-1D Corsair :

By V-J Day, September 2, 1945, Corsair pilots had amassed an 11:1 kill ratio against enemy aircraft. The aircraft’s distinctive inverted gull-wing design allowed ground clearance for the huge, three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller, which spanned more than 4 meters (13 feet). The Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engine and Hydromatic propeller was the largest and one of the most powerful engine-propeller combinations ever flown on a fighter aircraft.

Charles Lindbergh flew bombing missions in a Corsair with Marine Air Group 31 against Japanese strongholds in the Pacific in 1944. This airplane is painted in the colors and markings of the Corsair Sun Setter, a Marine close-support fighter assigned to the USS Essex in July 1944.

Transferred from the United States Navy.

Manufacturer:
Vought Aircraft Company

Date:
1940

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
Overall: 460 x 1020cm, 4037kg, 1250cm (15ft 1 1/8in. x 33ft 5 9/16in., 8900lb., 41ft 1/8in.)

Materials:
All metal with fabric-covered wings behind the main spar.

Physical Description:
R-2800 radial air-cooled engine with 1,850 horsepower, turned a three-blade Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller with solid aluminum blades spanning 13 feet 1 inch; wing bent gull-shaped on both sides of the fuselage.

Nice Machined Components Manufacturers images

Nice Machined Components Manufacturers images

Klarm Machining

A few good machined components makers photos I located:

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: primary hall panorama (SR-71, Space Shuttle, F-4 Corsair, et al)

Image by Chris Devers
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in much more hostile airspace or with such total impunity than the SR-71, the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird’s efficiency and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technologies developments for the duration of the Cold War.

This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time for the duration of 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March six, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, four minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight’s conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane more than to the Smithsonian.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

Designer:
Clarence L. &quotKelly&quot Johnson

Date:
1964

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
All round: 18ft five 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft five 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)

Components:
Titanium

Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-sort material) to decrease radar cross-section Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature massive inlet shock cones.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Vought F4U-1D Corsair:

By V-J Day, September two, 1945, Corsair pilots had amassed an 11:1 kill ratio against enemy aircraft. The aircraft’s distinctive inverted gull-wing style allowed ground clearance for the large, 3-bladed Hamilton Regular Hydromatic propeller, which spanned far more than 4 meters (13 feet). The Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engine and Hydromatic propeller was the biggest and 1 of the most powerful engine-propeller combinations ever flown on a fighter aircraft.

Charles Lindbergh flew bombing missions in a Corsair with Marine Air Group 31 against Japanese strongholds in the Pacific in 1944. This airplane is painted in the colors and markings of the Corsair Sun Setter, a Marine close-assistance fighter assigned to the USS Essex in July 1944.

Transferred from the United States Navy.

Manufacturer:
Vought Aircraft Business

Date:
1940

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
All round: 460 x 1020cm, 4037kg, 1250cm (15ft 1 1/8in. x 33ft five 9/16in., 8900lb., 41ft 1/8in.)

Supplies:
All metal with fabric-covered wings behind the main spar.

Physical Description:
R-2800 radial air-cooled engine with 1,850 horsepower, turned a 3-blade Hamilton Regular Hydromatic propeller with solid aluminum blades spanning 13 feet 1 inch wing bent gull-shaped on each sides of the fuselage.

• • • • •

See more images of this, and the Wikipedia article.

Information, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Space Shuttle Enterprise:

Manufacturer:
Rockwell International Corporation

Nation of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
All round: 57 ft. tall x 122 ft. lengthy x 78 ft. wing span, 150,000 lb.
(1737.36 x 3718.57 x 2377.44cm, 68039.6kg)

Components:
Aluminum airframe and body with some fiberglass characteristics payload bay doors are graphite epoxy composite thermal tiles are simulated (polyurethane foam) except for test samples of actual tiles and thermal blankets.

The first Space Shuttle orbiter, &quotEnterprise,&quot is a full-scale test automobile utilised for flights in the atmosphere and tests on the ground it is not equipped for spaceflight. Even though the airframe and flight handle elements are like these of the Shuttles flown in space, this vehicle has no propulsion technique and only simulated thermal tiles due to the fact these features had been not necessary for atmospheric and ground tests. &quotEnterprise&quot was rolled out at Rockwell International’s assembly facility in Palmdale, California, in 1976. In 1977, it entered service for a nine-month-extended approach-and-landing test flight system. Thereafter it was utilised for vibration tests and fit checks at NASA centers, and it also appeared in the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. In 1985, NASA transferred &quotEnterprise&quot to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

Transferred from National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Bidimensional SPEED

Image by 16:9clue
Amongst the most crucial industrial makers in Mexico is the automotive sector, whose standards of high quality are internationally recognized. The automobile sector in Mexico differs from that in other Latin American countries and developing nations in that it does not function as a mere assembly manufacturer. In 2007 one particular out every seven automobiles sold was produced in Mexico. The sector produces technologically complicated elements and engages in some research and development activities.

The &quotBig 3&quot (Basic Motors, Ford and Chrysler) have been operating in Mexico given that the 1930s, although Volkswagen and Nissan built their plants in the 1960s. Later, Toyota, Honda, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz established a presence. Given the high specifications of North American components in the business, numerous European and Asian parts suppliers have also moved to Mexico: in Puebla alone, 70 industrial portion-makers cluster around Volkswagen. The reasonably modest domestic car business is represented by DINA Camiones S.A. de C.V., which has built buses and trucks for virtually half a century, and the new Mastretta organization that builds the higher functionality Mastretta MXT sports auto.

The Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a functionality model of the Ford Mustang that Ford developed beginning in 1969. The name &quotmach 1&quot as used by Ford was initially introduced in 1959 on a idea &quotLevacar&quot originally shown in the Ford Rotunda. This idea &quotvehicle&quot utilized a cushion of air as propulsion on a circular dais.
Oaxaca, Mexico.

Post-production: edited by Picnik
(neighborhood contrasts, temperature, saturation, sharpness)

Nice Precision Turned Components Suppliers pictures

Nice Precision Turned Components Suppliers pictures

Klarm Machining

A few nice precision turned components suppliers images I found:

Montblanc Watch

Image by antefixus21
Montblanc Flagship Boutique 151 Bloor Street West Toronto ON.

Montblanc Wrist Watch wall display case.

Chronograph – Nicholas Rieussec time piece.

Swiss made.

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Automatic Watch Review
WRIST TIME REVIEWS
20 COMMENTSJANUARY 3, 2011 BY ARIEL ADAMS

This watch review is going to be a bit different than how I usually do them. Why? Because shortly before the review I was actually able to visit the manufacture making the movements of this watch. That experience offered me some special insight that allowed me to understand this timepiece more.
I know there is a lot of talk on the "manufacture" movement. In fact, a recent panel discussion I had with fellow watch expert journalists allowed me to realize that there is no strict definition of "watch manufacture" or "manufacture movement." This definitional ambiguity hurts my ability to explain things properly, but let it be said that Montblanc makes the movement in each of the Nicolas Rieussec watches themselves. Of course there is some help from suppliers, but this is about as "in-house" a job as most people want it to be. My understanding is that the components of the movements are made at the Valfleurier facility in Buttes Switzerland. The pieces are then sent to Montblanc Le Locle for assembly and testing.

What fascinated me most about the Montblanc manufacture in Le Locle Switzerland was just how modern it was. I mean it is true that many watch manufactures feel like you are in some combo of a hospital and science lab, but the machinery available to the watch makers at the Le Locle facility was impressive. I have a larger feature length article on this topic that will come out soon – but in short, when it comes to the Nicolas Rieussec line of timepieces, Montblanc relies on a clever environment that combines the human approach of watch makers with the precision assistance of machines.

A few example of this synergy between man (or woman) and machine? Here are two. One of the images here is of a machine that robotically applies lubricant to designated spots in a watch. Such lubricant must be precisely applied with an exact amount. The more consistently applied the better. While a human assembles the movement, a robot is used to apply the lubricant better and with more precision in terms of amount than any human can do consistently. Another example is a machine that allows a watch maker to adjust the screws on a balance wheel and test the accuracy of the rate in real time. Basically the machine combines a magnifier, computer controlled screw driver, and a watch movement rate tester in one. While it is operated by a person, the machine makes it easy to adjust a traditional weighted balance wheel to its most precise weight distribution in the escapement assembly.

One of my favorite images here that illustrates the culture of the manufacture is the image of the watch tools with the computer mouse. If you look closely you’ll also notice the presence of a Montblanc pen. Each work station gives watchmakers a computer terminal as well as watch making tools. While I have seen this before, it certainly isn’t common.

With their movements all made in Switzerland by Montblanc, the Nicolas Rieussec collection currently consists of a few watches. My main focus here is on the Automatic Chronograph that also has a GMT and date complication (that I tested). The movement is known as the R200. The two manually wound variants (with slightly different functions) are the R100, R110, and R120 (a limited edition that used a silicium escapement). I am not going to go overboard with technical details, but the movements represent an interesting medium between the ultra-high end, and mass manufactured pieces.

The R200 has a lot of impressive features on paper. Notable to the watch nerd is that it has a column wheel based chronograph that uses a vertical clutch. These features offer more durability and precision when using the chronograph. There are very few European chronographs that feature both of these features. I should also note that some of Seiko’s higher-end chronograph movements also feature column wheels and vertical clutches, as do pieces by brands such as Patek Philippe and (the former) Daniel Roth. Why all the focus on the chronograph? Well that is the new signature complication of Montblanc. The brand latched on to the complication for good reason (as well as to Mr. Nicolas Rieussec). "Chronograph" literally means "time writer." What is Montblanc known for? Yes, making pens. Sound too good to be true to have a watch in your collection that is a "time writer?" So the emphasis on this complication make perfect sense. Nicolas Rieussec is guy credited with "inventing the chronograph." Montblanc adopted him.

A while ago Rieussec created a device that looks like an early seismograph. It was a clock with a stop and start function that pulled a disc of paper along a smaller writing tip. This device was the first known "chronograph." It was meant to measure time in horse races and actually "wrote." The look of the chronograph on the watch is taken from this early device. Montblanc keeps replicas of them around the manufacture for inspiration. Each Nicolas Rieussec watch uses two discs that move along stationary hands to show the chronograph time (up to 30 minutes). These are also monopusher chronographs that use a single pusher to cycle through "start, stop, and reset" functions for the chronograph. The pusher is large, easy to find, and placed at the 5 o’clock position on the watch. Don’t miss the exposed synthetic palette rubies exposed on the top of the chronograph dials.

This chronograph style is the signature look of the Nicolas Rieussec collection. The time is displayed on an off-centered dial at the top of the face. While small, Montblanc really helped that dial standout and be legible. It uses that fancy looking font that you’ll find on most Montblanc Star watches. I really do love that font.

On the manually-wound versions of the Nicolas Rieussec, the time dial has a third hand used for the date. On the automatic, the third had is GMT hand. Working just like you would assume, the main time hour hand can be independently adjusted to alter the time when moving through time zones when traveling. To the left of the dial is a day/night indicator linked to the GMT hand. This useful complication help you know if it is day or night on your second timezone given that it is displayed on the 12, versus 24 hour scale. Who’d a though this would turn out to be such a useful travel watch? Both time zones share the minute hand. I was generally impressed by the GMT functionality of the watch and feels that the R200 movement’s use of the third hand is better than having it be a date indicator.

While the left of the dial has the day/night indicator, the right has a date wheel. For symmetry Montblanc uses a window of a similar shape, but I don’t much care for "open" date windows. It also does not look spectacular with the upper and lower date being partially under the dial – though that does actually help with keeping your focus on the actual date. While the windows that flank the time dial look nice, I have a feeling Montblanc might work to revise or polish the design in future generations of the watch.

Coming in a few tones, the dial of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec is an interesting creature. It took me a while to warm up to it, but I am enjoying the design. While totally different than other collection Montblanc offers, the Nicolas Rieussec does share the brand’s DNA nicely. Of course the crown has that lovely white Montblanc star, and the case is very much inspired by the Star collection. To create visual depth, the power part of the dial is partially "eclipsed" by a plate of Geneva stripe polished metal – plus, the dial looks to be made up of a few layers. The chronograph dials are covered with a sort of wish-bone like bridge that uses blued steel screws (blued steel is also used for some of the hands). This is a nice element, but I had one suggestion for Montblanc. While this might increase the cost a bit, I think it would be really welcome. The bridge is made from stamped steel. What if it could be made from milled and hand-polished steel? It would provide a wonderful visual cue and reminder that this is a hand-assembled watch. Perhaps in the future.

Let’s visit the R200 movement again. It is an automatic version of the R100 with a few addition complications (as mentioned above). You can see the rotor placed over the movement, with the small Montblanc star shaped hole that is designed to pass right over the column wheel opening window. The movement has two mainspring barrels for a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement operates at 28,800bmp and can be adjusted to be very accurate. I saw a movement at the manufacture that was adjusted to operate within less than one second of deviation a day. I love that the movement combines modern technology and traditionalism. Like I said, it uses a free-weighted balance spring and column wheel, enjoys helps from highly sophisticated machinery in its assembly and manufacture.

The Nicolas Rieussec watch case is 43mm wide and 14.8mm tall. It isn’t a small watch, but it does wear like a medium one. Its height is visually reduced by the highly curved lugs. Front and rear crystal are sapphire (with the front crystal having double AR coating), while it is water resistant to 30 meters.

Montblanc has assured me that their dedication to the Nicolas Rieussec collection is intense. The collection will receive more attention in the future, which is aided by the fact that the watch is a marketing success. One of the reasons for this is the pricing. While the watches aren’t cheap they are more reasonable that you’d expect. The pieces come in gold, platinum, and steel. The gold models are in the ,000 range. Not cheap, but Montblanc isn’t asking for ,000. Actually, their platinum version is about ,000 – which in the luxury market isn’t that much for a platinum watch. In steel the watch retails for about ,200. It comes in a steel bracelet or an alligator strap (black or brown). I am told that soon Montblanc will develop a brand new metal bracelet for the Nicolas Rieussec collection.

Overall these are enjoyable watches. The Montblanc identity is a major positive, and I enjoy the visual design and functionality of the R200 movement. While unique in its looks, this is an easy watch to wear daily. Montblanc isn’t making a mere collector’s piece here. Designed to prevent boredom but maintain utility the Nicolas Rieussec watch collection is intended for all types of watch lovers to worn daily.

Montblanc Watch

Image by antefixus21
Montblanc Flagship Boutique 151 Bloor Street West Toronto ON.

Montblanc Wrist Watch wall display case.

Chronograph – Nicholas Rieussec time piece. This was their most expensive time piece in stock that day.

Swiss made.

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Automatic Watch Review
WRIST TIME REVIEWS
20 COMMENTSJANUARY 3, 2011 BY ARIEL ADAMS

This watch review is going to be a bit different than how I usually do them. Why? Because shortly before the review I was actually able to visit the manufacture making the movements of this watch. That experience offered me some special insight that allowed me to understand this timepiece more.
I know there is a lot of talk on the "manufacture" movement. In fact, a recent panel discussion I had with fellow watch expert journalists allowed me to realize that there is no strict definition of "watch manufacture" or "manufacture movement." This definitional ambiguity hurts my ability to explain things properly, but let it be said that Montblanc makes the movement in each of the Nicolas Rieussec watches themselves. Of course there is some help from suppliers, but this is about as "in-house" a job as most people want it to be. My understanding is that the components of the movements are made at the Valfleurier facility in Buttes Switzerland. The pieces are then sent to Montblanc Le Locle for assembly and testing.

What fascinated me most about the Montblanc manufacture in Le Locle Switzerland was just how modern it was. I mean it is true that many watch manufactures feel like you are in some combo of a hospital and science lab, but the machinery available to the watch makers at the Le Locle facility was impressive. I have a larger feature length article on this topic that will come out soon – but in short, when it comes to the Nicolas Rieussec line of timepieces, Montblanc relies on a clever environment that combines the human approach of watch makers with the precision assistance of machines.

A few example of this synergy between man (or woman) and machine? Here are two. One of the images here is of a machine that robotically applies lubricant to designated spots in a watch. Such lubricant must be precisely applied with an exact amount. The more consistently applied the better. While a human assembles the movement, a robot is used to apply the lubricant better and with more precision in terms of amount than any human can do consistently. Another example is a machine that allows a watch maker to adjust the screws on a balance wheel and test the accuracy of the rate in real time. Basically the machine combines a magnifier, computer controlled screw driver, and a watch movement rate tester in one. While it is operated by a person, the machine makes it easy to adjust a traditional weighted balance wheel to its most precise weight distribution in the escapement assembly.

One of my favorite images here that illustrates the culture of the manufacture is the image of the watch tools with the computer mouse. If you look closely you’ll also notice the presence of a Montblanc pen. Each work station gives watchmakers a computer terminal as well as watch making tools. While I have seen this before, it certainly isn’t common.

With their movements all made in Switzerland by Montblanc, the Nicolas Rieussec collection currently consists of a few watches. My main focus here is on the Automatic Chronograph that also has a GMT and date complication (that I tested). The movement is known as the R200. The two manually wound variants (with slightly different functions) are the R100, R110, and R120 (a limited edition that used a silicium escapement). I am not going to go overboard with technical details, but the movements represent an interesting medium between the ultra-high end, and mass manufactured pieces.

The R200 has a lot of impressive features on paper. Notable to the watch nerd is that it has a column wheel based chronograph that uses a vertical clutch. These features offer more durability and precision when using the chronograph. There are very few European chronographs that feature both of these features. I should also note that some of Seiko’s higher-end chronograph movements also feature column wheels and vertical clutches, as do pieces by brands such as Patek Philippe and (the former) Daniel Roth. Why all the focus on the chronograph? Well that is the new signature complication of Montblanc. The brand latched on to the complication for good reason (as well as to Mr. Nicolas Rieussec). "Chronograph" literally means "time writer." What is Montblanc known for? Yes, making pens. Sound too good to be true to have a watch in your collection that is a "time writer?" So the emphasis on this complication make perfect sense. Nicolas Rieussec is guy credited with "inventing the chronograph." Montblanc adopted him.

A while ago Rieussec created a device that looks like an early seismograph. It was a clock with a stop and start function that pulled a disc of paper along a smaller writing tip. This device was the first known "chronograph." It was meant to measure time in horse races and actually "wrote." The look of the chronograph on the watch is taken from this early device. Montblanc keeps replicas of them around the manufacture for inspiration. Each Nicolas Rieussec watch uses two discs that move along stationary hands to show the chronograph time (up to 30 minutes). These are also monopusher chronographs that use a single pusher to cycle through "start, stop, and reset" functions for the chronograph. The pusher is large, easy to find, and placed at the 5 o’clock position on the watch. Don’t miss the exposed synthetic palette rubies exposed on the top of the chronograph dials.

This chronograph style is the signature look of the Nicolas Rieussec collection. The time is displayed on an off-centered dial at the top of the face. While small, Montblanc really helped that dial standout and be legible. It uses that fancy looking font that you’ll find on most Montblanc Star watches. I really do love that font.

On the manually-wound versions of the Nicolas Rieussec, the time dial has a third hand used for the date. On the automatic, the third had is GMT hand. Working just like you would assume, the main time hour hand can be independently adjusted to alter the time when moving through time zones when traveling. To the left of the dial is a day/night indicator linked to the GMT hand. This useful complication help you know if it is day or night on your second timezone given that it is displayed on the 12, versus 24 hour scale. Who’d a though this would turn out to be such a useful travel watch? Both time zones share the minute hand. I was generally impressed by the GMT functionality of the watch and feels that the R200 movement’s use of the third hand is better than having it be a date indicator.

While the left of the dial has the day/night indicator, the right has a date wheel. For symmetry Montblanc uses a window of a similar shape, but I don’t much care for "open" date windows. It also does not look spectacular with the upper and lower date being partially under the dial – though that does actually help with keeping your focus on the actual date. While the windows that flank the time dial look nice, I have a feeling Montblanc might work to revise or polish the design in future generations of the watch.

Coming in a few tones, the dial of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec is an interesting creature. It took me a while to warm up to it, but I am enjoying the design. While totally different than other collection Montblanc offers, the Nicolas Rieussec does share the brand’s DNA nicely. Of course the crown has that lovely white Montblanc star, and the case is very much inspired by the Star collection. To create visual depth, the power part of the dial is partially "eclipsed" by a plate of Geneva stripe polished metal – plus, the dial looks to be made up of a few layers. The chronograph dials are covered with a sort of wish-bone like bridge that uses blued steel screws (blued steel is also used for some of the hands). This is a nice element, but I had one suggestion for Montblanc. While this might increase the cost a bit, I think it would be really welcome. The bridge is made from stamped steel. What if it could be made from milled and hand-polished steel? It would provide a wonderful visual cue and reminder that this is a hand-assembled watch. Perhaps in the future.

Let’s visit the R200 movement again. It is an automatic version of the R100 with a few addition complications (as mentioned above). You can see the rotor placed over the movement, with the small Montblanc star shaped hole that is designed to pass right over the column wheel opening window. The movement has two mainspring barrels for a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement operates at 28,800bmp and can be adjusted to be very accurate. I saw a movement at the manufacture that was adjusted to operate within less than one second of deviation a day. I love that the movement combines modern technology and traditionalism. Like I said, it uses a free-weighted balance spring and column wheel, enjoys helps from highly sophisticated machinery in its assembly and manufacture.

The Nicolas Rieussec watch case is 43mm wide and 14.8mm tall. It isn’t a small watch, but it does wear like a medium one. Its height is visually reduced by the highly curved lugs. Front and rear crystal are sapphire (with the front crystal having double AR coating), while it is water resistant to 30 meters.

Montblanc has assured me that their dedication to the Nicolas Rieussec collection is intense. The collection will receive more attention in the future, which is aided by the fact that the watch is a marketing success. One of the reasons for this is the pricing. While the watches aren’t cheap they are more reasonable that you’d expect. The pieces come in gold, platinum, and steel. The gold models are in the ,000 range. Not cheap, but Montblanc isn’t asking for ,000. Actually, their platinum version is about ,000 – which in the luxury market isn’t that much for a platinum watch. In steel the watch retails for about ,200. It comes in a steel bracelet or an alligator strap (black or brown). I am told that soon Montblanc will develop a brand new metal bracelet for the Nicolas Rieussec collection.

Overall these are enjoyable watches. The Montblanc identity is a major positive, and I enjoy the visual design and functionality of the R200 movement. While unique in its looks, this is an easy watch to wear daily. Montblanc isn’t making a mere collector’s piece here. Designed to prevent boredom but maintain utility the Nicolas Rieussec watch collection is intended for all types of watch lovers to worn daily.

Montblanc Watch

Image by antefixus21
Montblanc Flagship Boutique 151 Bloor Street West Toronto ON Canada

Montblanc Wrist Watch wall display case.

Chronograph – Nicholas Rieussec time piece.

Swiss made.

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Automatic Watch Review
WRIST TIME REVIEWS
20 COMMENTSJANUARY 3, 2011 BY ARIEL ADAMS

This watch review is going to be a bit different than how I usually do them. Why? Because shortly before the review I was actually able to visit the manufacture making the movements of this watch. That experience offered me some special insight that allowed me to understand this timepiece more.
I know there is a lot of talk on the "manufacture" movement. In fact, a recent panel discussion I had with fellow watch expert journalists allowed me to realize that there is no strict definition of "watch manufacture" or "manufacture movement." This definitional ambiguity hurts my ability to explain things properly, but let it be said that Montblanc makes the movement in each of the Nicolas Rieussec watches themselves. Of course there is some help from suppliers, but this is about as "in-house" a job as most people want it to be. My understanding is that the components of the movements are made at the Valfleurier facility in Buttes Switzerland. The pieces are then sent to Montblanc Le Locle for assembly and testing.

What fascinated me most about the Montblanc manufacture in Le Locle Switzerland was just how modern it was. I mean it is true that many watch manufactures feel like you are in some combo of a hospital and science lab, but the machinery available to the watch makers at the Le Locle facility was impressive. I have a larger feature length article on this topic that will come out soon – but in short, when it comes to the Nicolas Rieussec line of timepieces, Montblanc relies on a clever environment that combines the human approach of watch makers with the precision assistance of machines.

A few example of this synergy between man (or woman) and machine? Here are two. One of the images here is of a machine that robotically applies lubricant to designated spots in a watch. Such lubricant must be precisely applied with an exact amount. The more consistently applied the better. While a human assembles the movement, a robot is used to apply the lubricant better and with more precision in terms of amount than any human can do consistently. Another example is a machine that allows a watch maker to adjust the screws on a balance wheel and test the accuracy of the rate in real time. Basically the machine combines a magnifier, computer controlled screw driver, and a watch movement rate tester in one. While it is operated by a person, the machine makes it easy to adjust a traditional weighted balance wheel to its most precise weight distribution in the escapement assembly.

One of my favorite images here that illustrates the culture of the manufacture is the image of the watch tools with the computer mouse. If you look closely you’ll also notice the presence of a Montblanc pen. Each work station gives watchmakers a computer terminal as well as watch making tools. While I have seen this before, it certainly isn’t common.

With their movements all made in Switzerland by Montblanc, the Nicolas Rieussec collection currently consists of a few watches. My main focus here is on the Automatic Chronograph that also has a GMT and date complication (that I tested). The movement is known as the R200. The two manually wound variants (with slightly different functions) are the R100, R110, and R120 (a limited edition that used a silicium escapement). I am not going to go overboard with technical details, but the movements represent an interesting medium between the ultra-high end, and mass manufactured pieces.

The R200 has a lot of impressive features on paper. Notable to the watch nerd is that it has a column wheel based chronograph that uses a vertical clutch. These features offer more durability and precision when using the chronograph. There are very few European chronographs that feature both of these features. I should also note that some of Seiko’s higher-end chronograph movements also feature column wheels and vertical clutches, as do pieces by brands such as Patek Philippe and (the former) Daniel Roth. Why all the focus on the chronograph? Well that is the new signature complication of Montblanc. The brand latched on to the complication for good reason (as well as to Mr. Nicolas Rieussec). "Chronograph" literally means "time writer." What is Montblanc known for? Yes, making pens. Sound too good to be true to have a watch in your collection that is a "time writer?" So the emphasis on this complication make perfect sense. Nicolas Rieussec is guy credited with "inventing the chronograph." Montblanc adopted him.

A while ago Rieussec created a device that looks like an early seismograph. It was a clock with a stop and start function that pulled a disc of paper along a smaller writing tip. This device was the first known "chronograph." It was meant to measure time in horse races and actually "wrote." The look of the chronograph on the watch is taken from this early device. Montblanc keeps replicas of them around the manufacture for inspiration. Each Nicolas Rieussec watch uses two discs that move along stationary hands to show the chronograph time (up to 30 minutes). These are also monopusher chronographs that use a single pusher to cycle through "start, stop, and reset" functions for the chronograph. The pusher is large, easy to find, and placed at the 5 o’clock position on the watch. Don’t miss the exposed synthetic palette rubies exposed on the top of the chronograph dials.

This chronograph style is the signature look of the Nicolas Rieussec collection. The time is displayed on an off-centered dial at the top of the face. While small, Montblanc really helped that dial standout and be legible. It uses that fancy looking font that you’ll find on most Montblanc Star watches. I really do love that font.

On the manually-wound versions of the Nicolas Rieussec, the time dial has a third hand used for the date. On the automatic, the third had is GMT hand. Working just like you would assume, the main time hour hand can be independently adjusted to alter the time when moving through time zones when traveling. To the left of the dial is a day/night indicator linked to the GMT hand. This useful complication help you know if it is day or night on your second timezone given that it is displayed on the 12, versus 24 hour scale. Who’d a though this would turn out to be such a useful travel watch? Both time zones share the minute hand. I was generally impressed by the GMT functionality of the watch and feels that the R200 movement’s use of the third hand is better than having it be a date indicator.

While the left of the dial has the day/night indicator, the right has a date wheel. For symmetry Montblanc uses a window of a similar shape, but I don’t much care for "open" date windows. It also does not look spectacular with the upper and lower date being partially under the dial – though that does actually help with keeping your focus on the actual date. While the windows that flank the time dial look nice, I have a feeling Montblanc might work to revise or polish the design in future generations of the watch.

Coming in a few tones, the dial of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec is an interesting creature. It took me a while to warm up to it, but I am enjoying the design. While totally different than other collection Montblanc offers, the Nicolas Rieussec does share the brand’s DNA nicely. Of course the crown has that lovely white Montblanc star, and the case is very much inspired by the Star collection. To create visual depth, the power part of the dial is partially "eclipsed" by a plate of Geneva stripe polished metal – plus, the dial looks to be made up of a few layers. The chronograph dials are covered with a sort of wish-bone like bridge that uses blued steel screws (blued steel is also used for some of the hands). This is a nice element, but I had one suggestion for Montblanc. While this might increase the cost a bit, I think it would be really welcome. The bridge is made from stamped steel. What if it could be made from milled and hand-polished steel? It would provide a wonderful visual cue and reminder that this is a hand-assembled watch. Perhaps in the future.

Let’s visit the R200 movement again. It is an automatic version of the R100 with a few addition complications (as mentioned above). You can see the rotor placed over the movement, with the small Montblanc star shaped hole that is designed to pass right over the column wheel opening window. The movement has two mainspring barrels for a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement operates at 28,800bmp and can be adjusted to be very accurate. I saw a movement at the manufacture that was adjusted to operate within less than one second of deviation a day. I love that the movement combines modern technology and traditionalism. Like I said, it uses a free-weighted balance spring and column wheel, enjoys helps from highly sophisticated machinery in its assembly and manufacture.

The Nicolas Rieussec watch case is 43mm wide and 14.8mm tall. It isn’t a small watch, but it does wear like a medium one. Its height is visually reduced by the highly curved lugs. Front and rear crystal are sapphire (with the front crystal having double AR coating), while it is water resistant to 30 meters.

Montblanc has assured me that their dedication to the Nicolas Rieussec collection is intense. The collection will receive more attention in the future, which is aided by the fact that the watch is a marketing success. One of the reasons for this is the pricing. While the watches aren’t cheap they are more reasonable that you’d expect. The pieces come in gold, platinum, and steel. The gold models are in the ,000 range. Not cheap, but Montblanc isn’t asking for ,000. Actually, their platinum version is about ,000 – which in the luxury market isn’t that much for a platinum watch. In steel the watch retails for about ,200. It comes in a steel bracelet or an alligator strap (black or brown). I am told that soon Montblanc will develop a brand new metal bracelet for the Nicolas Rieussec collection.

Overall these are enjoyable watches. The Montblanc identity is a major positive, and I enjoy the visual design and functionality of the R200 movement. While unique in its looks, this is an easy watch to wear daily. Montblanc isn’t making a mere collector’s piece here. Designed to prevent boredom but maintain utility the Nicolas Rieussec watch collection is intended for all types of watch lovers to worn daily.

Nice Precision Element Producers photos

Nice Precision Element Producers photos

Klarm Machining

Some cool precision element producers images:

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay” panorama

Image by Chris Devers
Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning:

In the P-38 Lockheed engineer Clarence &quotKelly&quot Johnson and his team of designers produced 1 of the most effective twin-engine fighters ever flown by any nation. From 1942 to 1945, U. S. Army Air Forces pilots flew P-38s over Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific, and from the frozen Aleutian Islands to the sun-baked deserts of North Africa. Lightning pilots in the Pacific theater downed more Japanese aircraft than pilots flying any other Allied warplane.

Maj. Richard I. Bong, America’s leading fighter ace, flew this P-38J-10-LO on April 16, 1945, at Wright Field, Ohio, to evaluate an experimental strategy of interconnecting the movement of the throttle and propeller handle levers. Nevertheless, his proper engine exploded in flight ahead of he could conduct the experiment.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Lockheed Aircraft Business

Date:
1943

Nation of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
General: 390 x 1170cm, 6345kg, 1580cm (12ft 9 9/16in. x 38ft four 5/8in., 13988.2lb., 51ft ten 1/16in.)

Supplies:
All-metal

Physical Description:
Twin-tail boom and twin-engine fighter tricycle landing gear.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Boeing B-29 Superfortress &quotEnola Gay&quot:

Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the 1st bomber to residence its crew in pressurized compartments. Despite the fact that created to fight in the European theater, the B-29 discovered its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a selection of aerial weapons: traditional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.

On August six, 1945, this Martin-constructed B-29-45-MO dropped the very first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on show at the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, The Wonderful Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on each missions.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Boeing Aircraft Co.
Martin Co., Omaha, Nebr.

Date:
1945

Country of Origin:
United States of America

Dimensions:
General: 900 x 3020cm, 32580kg, 4300cm (29ft 6 5/16in. x 99ft 1in., 71825.9lb., 141ft 15/16in.)

Components:
Polished general aluminum finish

Physical Description:
4-engine heavy bomber with semi-monoqoque fuselage and higher-aspect ratio wings. Polished aluminum finish general, standard late-World War II Army Air Forces insignia on wings and aft fuselage and serial quantity on vertical fin 509th Composite Group markings painted in black &quotEnola Gay&quot in black, block letters on reduced left nose.