Verify out these prototype engineering photos:
OH!!! Vespa…
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Image: Vespa
Place: Loews Portofino Bay, Orlando
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name implies wasp in Italian.
The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy—to a full line of scooters and one of seven firms today owned by Piaggio—now Europe’s largest manufacturer of two-wheeled autos and the world’s fourth biggest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales.[1]
From their inception, Vespa scooters have been recognized for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines a total cowling for the engine (enclosing the engine mechanism and concealing dirt or grease), a flat floorboard (providing foot protection), and a prominent front fairing (providing wind protection) into a structural unit.
History
Vespa 150 TAP, modified by the French military, that incorporated an anti tank weapon
Post World War II Italy, in light of its agreement to cessation of war activities with the Allies, had its aircraft industry severely restricted in both capability and capacity.
Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera fighter plane plant demolished by bombing. Italy’s crippled economy and the disastrous state of the roads did not help in the re-development of the automobile markets. Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio’s founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy’s urgent require for a contemporary and inexpensive mode of transportation for the masses.
[edit]Notion
The inspiration for the design and style of the Vespa dates back to Pre-World War II Cushman scooters produced in Nebraska, USA. These olive green scooters have been in Italy in big numbers, ordered originally by Washington as field transport for the Paratroops and Marines. The US military had utilized them to get around Nazi defense tactics of destroying roads and bridges in the Dolomites (a section of the Alps) and the Austrian border regions.
[edit]Design and style
Piaggio MP5 "Paperino", the initial Piaggio prototype
In 1944, Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini developed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the style incorporated handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of little diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled. Officially recognized as the MP5 ("Moto Piaggio no. five"), the prototype was nicknamed "Paperino".[2]
Enrico Piaggio was displeased with the MP5, particularly the tall central section. He contracted aeronautical engineer Corradino D’Ascanio, to redesign the scooter.[2] D’Ascanio, who had earlier been consulted by Ferdinando Innocenti about scooter design and style and manufacture, made it instantly identified that he hated motorcycles, believing them to be bulky, dirty, and unreliable.[3]
D’Ascanio’s MP6 prototype had its engine mounted beside the rear wheel. The wheel was driven straight from the transmission, eliminating the drive chain and the oil and dirt linked with it. The prototype had a unit spar frame with stress-bearing steel outer panels.[three] These changes allowed the MP6 to have a step-by means of style with out a centre section like that of the MP5 Paperino. The MP6 design also integrated a single sided front suspension, interchangeable front and rear wheels mounted on stub axles, and a spare wheel. Other functions of the MP6 have been equivalent to these on the Paperino, which includes the handlebar-mounted controls and the enclosed bodywork with the tall front splash guard.[two]
Upon seeing the MP6 for the first time Enrico Piaggio exclaimed: "Sembra una vespa!" ("It resembles a wasp!") Piaggio successfully named his new scooter on the spot.[3][4] Vespa is both Latin and Italian for wasp—derived from the vehicle’s body shape: the thicker rear portion connected to the front component by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled antennae. The name also refers to the high-pitched noise of the two-stroke engine.[citation needed]
Source from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa
Sinsheim – Technikmuseum Sinsheim – Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde 101-102 Air France F-BVFB 04
Image by Daniel Mennerich
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde is a retired turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport (SST). It is a single of only two SSTs to have entered commercial service the other was the Tupolev Tu-144. Concorde was jointly created and developed by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Very first flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued industrial flights for 27 years.
Among other destinations, Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York JFK, Washington Dulles and Barbados it flew these routes in significantly less than half the time of other airliners. With only 20 aircraft built, the improvement of Concorde was a substantial economic loss Air France and British Airways also received considerable government subsidies to buy them. Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a common downturn in the aviation business following the type’s only crash in 2000, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and a choice by Airbus, the successor firm of Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.
A total of 20 aircraft had been constructed in France and the United Kingdom six of these had been prototypes and development aircraft. Seven every have been delivered to Air France and British Airways. Concorde’s name reflects the development agreement amongst the United Kingdom and France. In the UK, any or all of the type—unusually for an aircraft—are identified merely as "Concorde", without having an post. The aircraft is regarded by many men and women as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel.
Sinsheim – Technikmuseum Sinsheim – Concorde 101-102 Air France F-BVFB Tu-144D CCCP-77112
Image by Daniel Mennerich
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde is a retired turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport (SST). It is one particular of only two SSTs to have entered commercial service the other was the Tupolev Tu-144. Concorde was jointly developed and created by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) below an Anglo-French treaty. Very first flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued commercial flights for 27 years.
Amongst other destinations, Concorde flew normal transatlantic flights from London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York JFK, Washington Dulles and Barbados it flew these routes in significantly less than half the time of other airliners. With only 20 aircraft constructed, the development of Concorde was a substantial financial loss Air France and British Airways also received considerable government subsidies to buy them. Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a basic downturn in the aviation market after the type’s only crash in 2000, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor firm of Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance help.
A total of 20 aircraft were built in France and the United Kingdom six of these have been prototypes and improvement aircraft. Seven every single were delivered to Air France and British Airways. Concorde’s name reflects the improvement agreement among the United Kingdom and France. In the UK, any or all of the type—unusually for an aircraft—are identified just as "Concorde", with no an report. The aircraft is regarded by several individuals as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel.
The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO name: "Charger’") was the first commercial supersonic transport aircraft (SST). It was one particular of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other getting the Anglo-French Concorde. The design and style, publicly unveiled in January 1962, was constructed in the Soviet Union beneath the path of the Tupolev design and style bureau, headed by Alexei Tupolev.
The prototype very first flew on 31 December 1968 close to Moscow, two months just before the 1st flight of Concorde. The Tu-144 initial went supersonic on 5 June 1969, and on 26 Could 1970 became the very first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2. The frequent comparisons to Concorde led to the Tu-144 being identified as "Concordski" in the West.
A Tu-144 crashed in 1973 at the Paris Air Show, delaying its further improvement. The aircraft was introduced into passenger service on 1 November 1977, practically two years after Concorde. In May possibly 1978, yet another Tu-144 (an enhanced version, named Tu-144D) crashed in a test flight even though being delivered, and the passenger fleet was permanently grounded right after only 55 scheduled flights. The aircraft remained in use as a cargo plane until 1983, by which point a total of 102 commercial flights had been completed.
The Tu-144 was later used by the Soviet space programme to train pilots of the Buran spacecraft, and by NASA for supersonic investigation.
´While several Tu-144s have been donated to museums in Moscow Monino, Samara and Ulyanovsk, at least two Tu-144D remained in open storage in Moscow Zhukovsky.
Tu-144S, tail quantity 77106, is on display at Central Air Force Museum of Russia in Monino. Maiden flight was on four March 1975, the final one on 29 February 1980. The plane was utilized to assess the effectiveness of the air-conditioning systems and to solve some problems on the fuel technique. It can be deemed the first production aircraft, becoming the first to be equipped for industrial use and delivered to Aeroflot. The initial operational flight was on 26 December 1975 in between Moscow and Alma-Ata carrying cargo and mail. This aircraft was the very first SST to land on a dirty runway when she was retired to Monino .
One more Tu-144, tail quantity 77107, is on open display in Kazan. The plane was constructed in 1975 and was a production model intended for passenger use. Nonetheless, it was only employed during test flights. On 29 March 1976 it made its final flight to Kazan.
TU-144S, tail number 77108, is on display in the museum of Samara State Aerospace University. It created its maiden flight on 12 December 1975, and its final flight on 27 August 1987. Improvement performs on navigation program had been created in this aircraft as properly as flight-director approach.
TU-144S, tail number 77110, is on show at the Museum of Civil Aviation in Ulyanovsk. Maiden flight occurred on 14 February 1977, the final Flight on 1 June 1984. This aircraft was the second of the two planes utilized for normal passengers’ flights on Moscow – Alma-Ata route. In 1977 it flew to Paris to take element in the XXXII Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. This was the final appearance of a Tu-144 in West Europe. CCCP-77110 was the last plane created of the model Tu-144S, powered with Kuznetsov NK-144A engines. In the first half of 2008 the cabin was open for visits and in between August and September was restored and painted in the original Aeroflot livery .
The only Tu-144, tail number 77112, on show outdoors the former Soviet Union was acquired by the Auto & Technikmuseum Sinsheim in Germany, exactly where it was shipped – not flown – in 2001 and where it now stands, in its original Aeroflot livery, on show next to an Air France Concorde.