IMAGE SHARING

Toyota FJ Cruiser

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:01:00 +0000

The Toyota FJ Cruiser (FJC) is a retro-style compact SUV produced by Toyota introduced as a concept at the 2003 Chicago Auto Show and in production form at the following North American International Auto Show. It went on sale in early 2006 as a 2007 model and features styling reminiscent of the original Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers from the 1960s (particularly the front fascia and wrap around rear windows), and is based on the Land Cruiser Prado platform, which is also used by the 4Runner. The FJ cruiser was not originally intended for production but due to enormous consumer response about the car following the North American International Auto Show, production eventually began in early 2006. All FJ Cruisers are built by Hino Motors in Hamura, Japan.

F-14 Tomcat

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:06:00 +0000

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. The F-14 was the United States Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical reconnaissance platform from 1974 to 2006. It later performed precision strike missions once it was integrated with LANTIRN. It was developed after the collapse of the F-111B project, and was the first of the American teen-series fighters which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat in Vietnam against MiGs. It entered service in 1972 with the U.S. Navy, replacing the F-4 Phantom II. It was later exported to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1976, during a time when the US still had good relations with Iran. It was retired from the U.S. Navy fleet on 22 September 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. As of 2007, it remains in service only with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.

F 4 Phantom

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:06:00 +0000

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American two-seat, twin-engined supersonic long-range all-weather fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. The Phantom remained in production from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, and was used by the U.S. military from 1960 to 1996, serving with the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and the US Navy. It was used extensively by all three U.S. services operating in Vietnam, ending the war as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, as well as being important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles. The Phantom continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 80s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force and the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy. It remained in service in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War. The Phantom was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in numerous Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force.

Jumbo Jet

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:38:00 +0000

The Boeing 747, the original "Jumbo Jet."
Because the 747 was representative of so many "firsts" in so many categories, first "wide-body airliner," first to use the "twin-aisle concept," and the first airliner to use "quiet technology high bypass turbofan engines," this particular aircraft is often and rightfully referred to as a jetliner for these among other reasons which follow. Among some of the other features that make this particular wide-body distinct from wide-bodies designed later are:
Triple decks - the lowest used by some airlines for galleys as well as cargo
Distinctive profile - unique hump over forward fuselage made this airliner easily distinguishable from others to the average traveler
First "super-transport jet" as opposed to first "super-sonic transport jet," of the free world or communist world.

Cruise Ship

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:11:00 +0000

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year. The industry's rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, as well as others servicing European clientele. Smaller markets such as the Asia-Pacific region are generally serviced by older tonnage displaced by new ships introduced into the high growth areas. Cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. In contrast, ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Some liners also engage in longer trips which may not lead back to the same port for many months. A river cruise ship has similar amenities, however is shorter, narrower, and has a shallower draft, allowing it to travel inland waterways.

Land Rover

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Land Rover is a British all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) manufacturer, based in Gaydon, England, UK. Originally the term Land Rover referred to one specific vehicle, a pioneering civilian all-terrain utility vehicle launched on April 30, 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show, but was later used as a brand for several distinct models, all four-wheel drive. Starting out as part of The Rover Car Company or Rover, Land Rovers were designed and manufactured as a range of four-wheel drive vehicles under a succession of owners, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and BMW. Today, the marque is part of the Premier Automotive Group, a division of the Ford Motor Company. Land Rover is one of the longest lived SUV brands (the only brand which is older is Jeep). Ford is currently divesting both Premier units, with India's Tata Motors being the front-runner in the race to acquire one of the world's most prestigious automotive marques.

Hummer

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Hummer is a brand of large off-road vehicles (H1) or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) (H2, H3,) sold by General Motors, also known as GM. The H1 version is based on the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee). The Hummer is one of the larger 4x4 types, with commensurate high fuel consumption.[1] In most countries, a hummer is considered to be a truck, rather than a regular SUV as it does not meet environmental protection standards.[citation needed] In some countries, including New Zealand and Australia, a truck license is needed in order to operate some of the heavier models of Hummer.

Concorde

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:46:00 +0000

The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was the more successful of the only two supersonic passenger airliners to have ever operated commercially (the Tupolev Tu-144 being the other). The development programmed was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, with 20 aircraft built. The costly development phase thus represented a substantial economic loss. Air France and British Airways were subsidized to buy the aircraft by their governments, while other sales were blocked by the 1973 oil crisis and competition from the Boeing 747. However, overall, Concorde made very large operating profits for British Airways. First flown in 1969, piloted by Andre Turcat, Concorde service commenced in 1976 and continued for 27 years. It flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heath row (British Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air France) to New York JFK and Washington Dulles, flying these routes at record speeds, in under half the time of other airliners. Concorde also set many other records, including the official FAI "Westbound Around The World" and "Eastbound Around the World" world air speed records. As a result of the type's only crash on 25 July 2000, world economic effects arising from the 9/11 attacks, and other factors, operations ceased on 24 October 2003. The last "retirement" flight occurred on 26 November that year. Concorde remains an icon of aviation history, and has acquired an unusual nomenclature for an aircraft. In common usage in the United Kingdom, the type is known as "Concorde" rather than "the Concorde" or "a Concorde". General features Concorde had a cruise speed of Mach 2.02 (around 2170 km/h or 1,350 mph) and a maximum cruise altitude of 60,000 feet (18 300 metres) with a delta wing configuration and a reheat-equipped evolution of the engines originally developed for the Avro Vulcan strategic bomber. The engines were built by Rolls-Royce. Concorde was the first civil airliner to be equipped with an analogue fly-by-wire flight control system. Commercial flights, operated by British Airways and Air France, began on 21 January 1976 and ended on 24 October 2003, with the last "retirement" flight on 26 November that year.

Helicopter

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:54:00 +0000

A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotor craft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter derives its source of lift from the rotor blades rotating around a mast. The word 'helicopter' is adapted from the French hélicoptère, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861.

Luxury Vehicle

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:27:00 +0000

A luxury vehicle is a relatively expensive vehicle that includes additional features designed to increase the comfort of the driver and passengers. Luxury vehicles usually place more emphasis on comfort, appearance, and amenities such as technological upgrades and higher quality materials than on performance, economy, or utility. Luxury vehicles are often built in smaller numbers than more affordable mass-market vehicles. Luxury vehicles are historically 5 or 6-passenger four-door sedans. Recently the term "luxury" has been stapled onto other vehicles, including coupés, hatchbacks, station wagons, roadsters, and even trucks, such as light pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles.

Military Aircraft

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:24:00 +0000

The major distinction in aircraft usage is between military aviation, which includes all uses of aircraft for military purposes (such as combat, patrolling, search and rescue, reconnaissance, transport, and training), and civil aviation, which includes all uses of aircraft for non-military purposes.

Submarine

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:38:00 +0000

A submarine is a watercraft that can operate independently underwater, as distinct from a submersible that has only limited underwater capability. The term submarine most commonly refers to large manned autonomous vessels, however historically or more casually, submarine can also refer to medium sized or smaller vessels, (midget submarines, wet subs), Remotely Operated Vehicles or robots. The word submarine was originally an adjective meaning "under the sea", and so consequently other uses such as 'submarine engineering' or 'submarine cable' may not actually refer to submarines at all. Submarine was shortened from the term 'submarine boat'. Submarines are referred to as "boats" for historical reasons because vessels deployed from a ship are referred to as boats. The first submarines were launched in such a manner. The English term U-Boat for German submarine comes from the German word for submarine, `U-Boot`, itself an abbreviation for Unterseeboot ('undersea boat').

Warship

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:31:00 +0000

A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat . Warships are usually built in a completely different way than merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, a warship typically only carries weapons, ammunition and supplies for its own crew (rather than merchant cargo). Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have sometimes been operated by individuals or companies.

Ships

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:42:00 +0000

A ship is a large watercraft capable of offshore navigation. Ships may be operated by governments (military, rescue, research, transportation), private companies and institutions (transportation, offshore resources, research), and individuals (large yachts, research).

Boats

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:38:00 +0000

A boat is a watercraft designed to float or plane on, and provide transport over water. Usually this water will be inland (lakes) or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were historically designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is something small enough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship). Some boats too large for the naval definition include the Great Lakes freighter, riverboat, narrowboat and ferryboat. Modern submarines can also be called boats, despite their underwater capabilities and size. This may be because the first submarines could be carried by a ship and were not capable of making independent offshore passages. Boats may be used by the military or other government interests, or for research or commercial purposes; but regardless of size, a vessel in private, non-commercial usage is almost certainly a boat.

Kayak

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Kayak is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck. It is propelled by a double-bladed paddle by a sitting paddler. The kayak was used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland. Modern kayaks come in a wide variety of designs and materials for specialized purposes. Kayaks are in some parts of the world referred to as canoes

Rafting

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:57:00 +0000

Rafting or whitewater rafting is a recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid 1970s.

Rock Climbing

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:11:00 +0000

Rock climbing, broadly speaking, is the act of ascending steep rock formations. Normally, climbers use gear and safety equipment specifically designed for the purpose. Strength, endurance, and mental control, as well as agility and balance, are required to cope with tough, dangerous physical challenges, and knowledge of climbing techniques and the use of essential pieces of gear and equipment are crucial.

Mountaineering

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:42:00 +0000

Mountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains. It is also sometimes known as alpinism, particularly in Europe. While it began as an all-out attempt to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains, it has branched into specializations addressing different aspects of mountains and may now be said to consist of three aspects: rock-craft, snow-craft and skiing, depending on whether the route chosen is over rock, snow or ice. All require great athletic and technical ability, and experience is also a very important part of the matter.

Paragliding

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport. A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing.

The United States Navy (USN)

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:10:00 +0000

The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and one of seven uniformed services. The U.S. Navy currently has over 335,000 personnel on active duty and 128,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 280 ships in active service and more than 4,000 aircraft.
The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy. Depredations against American shipping by Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates. The U.S. Navy came into international prominence in the 20th century, especially during World War II. It was a part of the conflict from the onset of American military involvement — the Attack on Pearl Harbor — to Japan's official surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. In the subsequent Cold War, the U.S. Navy evolved into a nuclear deterrent and crisis response force while preparing for a possible global war with the Soviet Union.
The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable presence in the world, deploying in such areas as East Asia, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. Its ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises makes it an active player in American foreign and defense policy. The United States Navy is the largest in the world with a tonnage greater than that of the next 17 largest combined and has a budget of $127.3 billion for the 2007 fiscal year. The US Navy also possesses the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 carriers in service and 2 under construction.
The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is, itself, a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking Navy officer is the Chief of Naval Operations.

Parachuting

noreply@blogger.com ("P2") — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Parachutingis an activity involving a preplanned drop from a height using a deployable parachute.
One type of parachuting is skydiving, which is recreational parachuting, also called sport parachuting. The history of parachuting is not clear. It's known that Andre-Jacques Garnerin made successful parachute jumps from a hot-air balloon in 1797. The military developed parachuting technology first as a way to save aircrews from emergencies aboard balloons and aircraft in flight, later as a way of delivering soldiers to the battlefield. Early competitions date back to the 1930s, and it became an international sport in 1951. Today it is performed as a recreational activity and a competitive sport, as well as for the deployment of military personnel Airborne forces and occasionally forest firefighters.