A flying club or aero club is an organisation that allows its members to pursue flying activities, usually by renting aircraft to them. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as well as organizing social functions, fly-ins and fly-outs to other airports and so forth. While flying clubs are home to those who pursue flying as a hobby, many commercial pilots also get their start at flying clubs.
Most flying clubs own and rent small general aviation aircraft. In North America and Europe the most popular such aircraft are the Cessna 152, the Cessna 172, and the Piper Cherokee. However some clubs also exist to provide access to more specialized aircraft, such as vintage planes, aerobatic planes or helicopters. There are also clubs devoted to flying gliders. Another category of specialized flying clubs are Aircraft Type Clubs which are devoted to providing information and support to one type or family of aircraft.
Flying clubs are usually located at smaller airports in suburban or rural areas, away from the traffic of the world's major hubs. In Canada, however, the clubs can be fairly large non-profit operations, some dating back to the 1920s and operating at large airports as well as small. Canadian flying clubs often serve as fixed-base operators at their airports as well as flight schools and aircraft renters.
There are two types of flying clubs - equity flying clubs, and non-equity flying clubs. In an equity flying club, each member of the flying club "buys in" to the club and owns a share of all the club's aircraft. The member then pays both monthly dues, which cover the fixed costs of ownership (hangar, insurance, annual maintenance, etc.), and an hourly rate for his use the airplanes in the club. In a non-equity flying club, the members do not own a share of the aircraft. Members may still pay an initiation fee (usually much smaller than an equity flying club), a monthly fee to help cover the fixed costs, and an hourly rate to use the aircraft.
2009年1月18日星期日
Officeworks
Officeworks is a chain of Australian office supplies stores which was established in the early 1990s by Coles Myer (which became Coles Group, now part of Wesfarmers). The store concept adopted by Officeworks was based on the US chain Office Depot.
History
The first Officeworks store opened in the inner city suburb of Richmond in Melbourne in June 1994. In 1994 and 1995 Officeworks opened more stores throughout Melbourne in South Melbourne, Fitzroy, Chadstone and Ringwood, while also expanding interstate.
Harris Technology, an IT retailer, was purchased by Coles Myer in 1999 and became a subsidiary of the larger office supplies retailer. Viking Australia (a subsidiary of Office Depot) was purchased by Coles Myer in December 2002 and was merged with Officeworks Direct to form Officeworks BusinessDirect.
By late 2006 the business opened its 100th store in South Yarra. Officeworks now has over 110 Retail stores, with a presence in every Australian state and territory except for the Northern Territory.
Following the purchase of Coles Group by Wesfarmers in November 2007, Officeworks and Harris Technology form part of Wesfarmers' Home Improvement and Office Supplies division.
Rebranding
View of a new Officeworks store.
Views of a typical (pre-Wesfarmers takeover) Officeworks store.During 2008 Officeworks underwent a "rebranding", which saw the introduction of a new corporate logo, new uniforms, renaming departments in store, store re-fits and a new slogan - "Lowest Prices Everyday". This re-branding has been adopted to re-align Officeworks as a low cost warehouse similar to that its sister company Bunnings Warehouse. Officeworks has also adopted the "Lowest Price Guarantee", similar to that found at Bunnings Warehouse, where Officeworks will beat any competitor's price of an identical item by 5%.
Business
View of the interier of a new Officeworks store, post rebranding.
View of the interier of a new Officeworks store, post rebranding.Most Officeworks stores feature the following departments:
Print (aka Copy Centre, formerly Printworks) - Provides services including printing, photocopying, laminating, custom promotional products, Photobooks, business cards, printed stationery, stamps and name badges
Technology (aka Business Machines, formerly Techworks) - Computers, business machines and other electronic products.
Furniture (formerly Furnitureworks) - Chairs, desks, filing cabinets and other office furniture.
Stationery - Pens, paper and other stationery needs.
Some stores formerly featured Inkworks, which provided ink and toner replacements and recycling. This is now part of Technology/Business Machines.
Officeworks BusinessDirect is an internet and phone sales division with its own warehouse. It stocks a similar range to retail stores on a delivery only basis, with a focus on day-to-day needs of medium to large businesses rather than small business and general consumers that shop in store.
Recent performance
Officeworks sales growth announced in April 2008 was described as "sluggish".
History
The first Officeworks store opened in the inner city suburb of Richmond in Melbourne in June 1994. In 1994 and 1995 Officeworks opened more stores throughout Melbourne in South Melbourne, Fitzroy, Chadstone and Ringwood, while also expanding interstate.
Harris Technology, an IT retailer, was purchased by Coles Myer in 1999 and became a subsidiary of the larger office supplies retailer. Viking Australia (a subsidiary of Office Depot) was purchased by Coles Myer in December 2002 and was merged with Officeworks Direct to form Officeworks BusinessDirect.
By late 2006 the business opened its 100th store in South Yarra. Officeworks now has over 110 Retail stores, with a presence in every Australian state and territory except for the Northern Territory.
Following the purchase of Coles Group by Wesfarmers in November 2007, Officeworks and Harris Technology form part of Wesfarmers' Home Improvement and Office Supplies division.
Rebranding
View of a new Officeworks store.
Views of a typical (pre-Wesfarmers takeover) Officeworks store.During 2008 Officeworks underwent a "rebranding", which saw the introduction of a new corporate logo, new uniforms, renaming departments in store, store re-fits and a new slogan - "Lowest Prices Everyday". This re-branding has been adopted to re-align Officeworks as a low cost warehouse similar to that its sister company Bunnings Warehouse. Officeworks has also adopted the "Lowest Price Guarantee", similar to that found at Bunnings Warehouse, where Officeworks will beat any competitor's price of an identical item by 5%.
Business
View of the interier of a new Officeworks store, post rebranding.
View of the interier of a new Officeworks store, post rebranding.Most Officeworks stores feature the following departments:
Print (aka Copy Centre, formerly Printworks) - Provides services including printing, photocopying, laminating, custom promotional products, Photobooks, business cards, printed stationery, stamps and name badges
Technology (aka Business Machines, formerly Techworks) - Computers, business machines and other electronic products.
Furniture (formerly Furnitureworks) - Chairs, desks, filing cabinets and other office furniture.
Stationery - Pens, paper and other stationery needs.
Some stores formerly featured Inkworks, which provided ink and toner replacements and recycling. This is now part of Technology/Business Machines.
Officeworks BusinessDirect is an internet and phone sales division with its own warehouse. It stocks a similar range to retail stores on a delivery only basis, with a focus on day-to-day needs of medium to large businesses rather than small business and general consumers that shop in store.
Recent performance
Officeworks sales growth announced in April 2008 was described as "sluggish".
Rising Shore Roanoke
The Rising Shore - Roanoke is a novel about The Lost Colony by Deborah Homsher. The novel tells the story of two women who sailed from London to the shore of the Virginia wilderness in 1587. Elenor White Dare is daughter of the expedition's leader and mother of Virginia Dare, the first English child born on the American continent. Freshly married and newly pregnant when she boards the ship, Elenor longs to explore and paint pictures of the New World, as her father has done, but her dreams are frustrated by her status as John White's daughter--not his son. Margaret Lawrence, her bold young servant, blazes her own path to independence as a member of the struggling colony that settles on Roanoke Island.
The adventures of Elenor and Margaret begin in Elizabethan London, cross the Atlantic, pass through the Caribbean, and climax in the Outer Banks region of North America.
Historically, John White, the leader of the venture, sailed home to London for supplies and then returned three years later to find no trace of the hundred colonists he'd left in Virginia except the word "Croatoan" carved in a post.
The story of The Lost Colony is one of America's first great mysteries.
The adventures of Elenor and Margaret begin in Elizabethan London, cross the Atlantic, pass through the Caribbean, and climax in the Outer Banks region of North America.
Historically, John White, the leader of the venture, sailed home to London for supplies and then returned three years later to find no trace of the hundred colonists he'd left in Virginia except the word "Croatoan" carved in a post.
The story of The Lost Colony is one of America's first great mysteries.
Thomas Fitzsimons
Thomas Fitzsimons (1741–1811) was an American merchant and statesman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the U.S. Congress.
Fitzsimons was born in Ireland around 1741. By 1760 he had immigrated to Philadelphia, and began work as a clerk in a mercantile house. He married Catherine Meade on November 23, 1761 and formed a business partnership with her brother George. Their firm specialized in the West Indies trade, and would operate successfully for over 41 years.
As the Revolution neared, he supported the Whig position. Early in the Revolutionary War he served as captain of a company of home guards, but the only report of their actions was to support the regular troops for the Battle of Trenton in 1776. Later in the war he provided supplies, ships, and money in support of Pennsylvania’s forces.
Fitzsimons entered active politics as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. He was a member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives in 1786 and 1787. He was also a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787. Although not a leading member of that convention, he did support a strong national government, opposed slavery, and favored giving the congress powers to tax import and exports, as well as granting the house and the senate equal power in making treaties. He was one of only two Catholic signers of the Constitution.
After the constitution was established, he served in the first three sessions of the House, finally failing to win re-election in 1794. He lost to upstart John Swanwick, who carried 7 of Philadelphia's 12 Districts and 57% of the vote. This was partially attributed, not to Fitzsimons's own fault but to public opinion turning against the Federalist Party, to which he belonged, in the wake of the Whiskey Rebellion's suppression.
While withdrawing from politics, Fitzsimons remained active in civic and business affairs. He served as president of Philadelphia's Chamber of Commerce, as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, and a director of the Bank of North America. He was a founder of the bank, and supported efforts to found the College of Georgetown.
Thomas died on August 26, 1811 in Philadelphia and was buried the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Cemetery there. (The cemetery is now part of the Independence National Historical Park.)
Wachdienst
The Wachdienst (English: rural home guard or the watch service) was an auxiliary organisation erected by the Third Reich in Germany during the last months of World War II, in 1945. The service was created to assist local authorities in rural areas, among other things, and elderly men in Germany, mostly farmers and other rural labourers, were forced into conscription. Members of the Wachdienst were often required to participate in local fire brigades and engage in related tasks. Others were involved in the oversight of farms in their area, and were required to look into pests affecting local crops and produce. In addition to this, and as the name of the unit implies, the Wachdienst were also tasked with home protection for civilians, and undertook militia-like duties in that respect.
The service was one of many civilian organisations created under command of the Third Reich in Germany, in response to an increasing lack of manpower and supplies as the war dragged on and continued its demand for resources, human and not. As the Wehrmacht, the German military forces, were proving ineffective in stopping the advance of Soviet Russia on the Eastern Front due to a lack of units, Adolf Hitler sanctioned the creation of such organisations on the home front, and civilians who were working in areas perceived to be non-essential were often enrolled.
The Wachdienst should not be confused with the Volkssturm, a similar militia "home guard" unit formed in October 1944 whose name is roughly translated into English as "The People's Army".
The service was one of many civilian organisations created under command of the Third Reich in Germany, in response to an increasing lack of manpower and supplies as the war dragged on and continued its demand for resources, human and not. As the Wehrmacht, the German military forces, were proving ineffective in stopping the advance of Soviet Russia on the Eastern Front due to a lack of units, Adolf Hitler sanctioned the creation of such organisations on the home front, and civilians who were working in areas perceived to be non-essential were often enrolled.
The Wachdienst should not be confused with the Volkssturm, a similar militia "home guard" unit formed in October 1944 whose name is roughly translated into English as "The People's Army".
Kemi
Kemi (Northern Sami: Giepma) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near of the city of Tornio. It was founded in 1869 by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour.
Kemi is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of 22,602 and covers an area of 747.44 square kilometres (288.59 sq mi) of which 652.17 km2 (251.80 sq mi) is water. The population density is 237.24 inhabitants per square kilometre (614.4 /sq mi).
The main economic activity in Kemi is centred on two large paper and woodpulp mills and on the only chromium mine in Europe (which supplies the Outokumpu ferrochrome plant in Tornio). A polytechnic university is also situated in Kemi.
Kemi also has a claim to fame as the home of the world's largest snow castle (reconstructed every year with a different architecture). The snowcastle is usually located at the inner harbour of Kemi.
It's also the homeland of the Power Metal band Sonata Arctica.
Sights
Kemi church
The SnowCastle of Kemi
Gemstone gallery
Icebreaker Sampo
Economics
In April 2007, the city of Kemi laid off all of its municipal workers for 2 weeks due to the failing economy of the city. Spiraling specialist health care costs and a fleeting industry tax base are stated as the cause for the vote. These are the most drastic temporary dismissals to take place in Finland since 2000.
Transportation
Kemi railway station is an intermediate station on the railway between Lapland and Helsinki. It is operated by VR. The junction of the Kolari and Rovaniemi lines lies to the north of Kemi station.
Finnish national road 4 and European routes E8 and E75 run through the town.
Kemi-Tornio Airport is located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) north of Kemi city centre.
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire, England was perhaps the most secret Royal Air Force airfield in World War II. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, No. 138, which dropped Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and No. 161, which specialised in personnel delivery and retrieval by landing in occupied Europe. Adolf Hitler personally knew of the existence of an airfield from which the RAF was carrying out these activities, but the Germans were never able to find its location in order to bomb it.
RAF Tempsford is very close to Little Gransden Airfield and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at Gransden Lodge and Bourn.
By 2002 part of the former Tempsford airfield was a concrete-making facility and some of the main airfield buildings had been turned into various commercial workshops. A nearby public footpath led to the end of a substantially intact runway and then on to Gibraltar Farm, the agents' final dispatch point. This barn contained several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women, who were flown from the airfield, many of whom were later killed after being captured and tortured. A memorial is also to be found in St Peter's Church, in the nearby village of Tempsford.
People
Andrée Borrel and Lise de Baissac (Odile), were the first female SOE agents to be parachuted into occupied France. They flew out from RAF Tempsford on 24 September, 1942.
Flying Officer Gerald Cruwys was awarded the Croix de guerre for his work with the French Resistance while at RAF Tempsford.
Group Captain Edward 'Mouse' Fielden, Station Commander of RAF Tempsford (1942-1944) and a former royal pilot
Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Macdonald Hodges was the Commander of 161 Squadron from May 1943 to 1944.
Group Captain Percy Charles Pickard was awarded a second bar to his DSO in March 1943 for his outstanding leadership in command of 161 Squadron
Group Captain Hugh Verity, author of We Landed by Moonlight
Violette Szabo flew out on both her missions from RAF Tempsford.
Wing Commander F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, otherwise known as the White Rabbit, was dropped in France on 27th February 1943 having been flown out from RAF Tempsford by Pilot Officer Foster.
Operational units and aircraft
No. 53 Squadron RAF detachment (1946) - Consolidated Liberator VI and VIII
No. 109 Squadron RAF (1942) - Vickers Wellington I
No. 138 Squadron RAF (1942-1944) - Handley Page Halifax II and V
No. 149 Squadron RAF (1943-1944) - Short Stirling III
No. 161 Squadron RAF (1942-1945) - Westland Lysander IIIA and other types
No. 426 Squadron RCAF (1945) - Consolidated Liberator VIII
No. 617 Squadron RAF detachment (1945) - Avro Lancaster I & III
Bibliography
Clark, F. Agents by Moonlight: The Secret History of RAF Tempsford during the Second World War. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd., 1999.
Clark, F. Peter Five. Bromley: Independent Books, 1993.
Griffiths, Frank "Winged Hours". London: William Kimber, 1981. ISBN 0-7183-0128-5.
O'Connor, B. Tempsford Airfield: Now the story can be told… 1998. ISBN 1-902810-03-1
Verity, H., We Landed By Moonlight (revised edition). Manchester: Crecy Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-947554-75-0.
订阅：
评论 (Atom)