The French seaside town and ferry port was expecting its famous mechanical dragon to be operating in the build up to Christmas and New Year, but COVID-19 struck again and so the Compagnie du Dragon has been using the downtime for a bit of maintenance. I got...
Filming starts next month on the next big-budget war movie, Devotion, which tells the real life story of U.S. Navy pilots Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown. The History The duo came from completely different, post-World War II, backgrounds. Tom was a white New Englander from a wealthy...
In the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, NATO developed ZELL – the Zero-Length Launch system, using rocket-assisted F-104 Starfighters and other primary attack aircraft. Being right on the border with the Eastern Bloc, West Germany in particular had little time to identify and intercept...
Many people know that President Kennedy’s elder brother died tragically during World War II, in a colossal airborne explosion over East Anglia in the UK on 12 Aug 1944. Not many, including myself, knew that the event was witnessed by Col. Elliott Roosevelt, son of FDR who...
Last week the U.S. National Park Service announced $2,208,110 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect 169.03 acres of America’s Civil War battlefields. Unlike the UK, where so many of our battlefield sites are already lost to history, or under threat from developers (See...
The light installation Een Spoor van Water (A Trail of Water) by artist Matthias Oostrik was unveiled this week under a railway bridge in the Dutch city of Assen. Each passing train activates a unique light composition, incorporated into the paving and plant beds underneath. While I...
The Salis Flying Museum (Musée Volant Salis) has an amazing collection of around 50* historic aircraft at its hilltop airfield, 35 kms south of Paris. It’s the drip trays you notice. Drip trays are a rare sight in most aviation museums because, before they go on static...
When 33 single-handed yachtsmen and women set off from Les Sables d’Olonne in France tomorrow, to race non-stop around the world for the Vendée Globe trophy, there’s a good chance they will do so quicker and safer than ever before. That will be down to state-of-the-art technology...
The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) has announced the 27th and 28th vehicles to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. The HVA established the National Historic Vehicle Register in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Heritage Documentation Programs and Library of Congress, respectively, to...
Everybody dreads their driving test, but every country has its own version with a huge range of standards and idiosyncrasies, so ours/yours may not be the worst. Here in the UK, our new drivers are clearly daunted by the test. UK driving test pass rates have plummeted...
Environmentally-friendly, remotely-controlled, electric aircraft tugs are taking over the role of ground handling, pushback and hanger movements at airports around the world. Spanish airline, Iberia is the latest to start using remotely controlled Mototok electric tugs for moving their aircraft at Madrid and Barcelona Airports. Their eight...
Work is complete on 516 Arouca, which at 516 metres long is now the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world*. 516 Arouca hangs 175 metres (574 ft) over the Paiva river in the eastern part of Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark, Portugal. It connects the escarpment of...
Keen to reconnect with its fanbase, Ducati is reopening its museum today (5 Oct) at their motorcycle factory in Borgo Panigale, Bologne, Italy. The museum’s new coronavirus protocols mean that visitors have to book online and register a specific date/time slot in advance. The 15-min time slots...
The Aston Martin Heritage Trust museum is home to some classic, and beautiful, examples of auto engineering excellence. The museum tells the story of the brand’s luxury sports cars and grand tourers – their amazing engine design, development and manufacturing, and their motor racing history. I went...
This is a niche blog about technically-minded travel. It reflects my own interests in the mechanical, technical, historical, engineering, transport and military world.
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