I asked that a while ago, and was told sadly not; the butterflies are just too great.
That Wacky Redhead
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I asked that a while ago, and was told sadly not; the butterflies are just too great.
I'd like to take this opportunity to make a special announcement! Up to this point, there has not been a central repository for all of the incredible artwork that nixonshead has so generously provided for this timeline, though a number of you have made requests to that effect. Well, that has all changed. Allow me to unveil the Illustrations page for TWR on the AH.com Wiki! This includes several images which have not been posted on this thread and therefore can exclusively be seen on that page. More images will be added there at a later juncture.
I hope that's brought about a blast from the past, especially since the plane in question (a model 515-FB) is currently (as at July 1, 1984) touched down at none other than Jersey Airport.
She's rather sluggish, however, with a cruising speed at 10 knots. Our estimates have her making only three round-trip voyages between Southampton and Cooktown (via Halifax, to pick up the Centaurs, on the way Down Under) per year. This should be no problem in the era of Black Prince 1 and 2, but (once again) by the time of Black Prince 30/32/34, a ship that's either faster or larger (preferably both) will be needed to meet the increased demand for Blue Streak cores. Her replacement would probably look something like OTL's MV Delta Mariner.
Fun fact: the return trip from Cooktown to Southampton appears to be slightly faster via Suez as opposed to heading back through Panama - but since the stop-off at Halifax is needed to pick up the Centaur cores, the route to Cooktown will always be through Panama - meaning that the Empire Gull and any of her successors would likely be circumnavigating the Earth on each and every round-trip voyage, delivering cores which, when assembled, will launch satellites that will also circumnavigate the Earth, albeit at a much, much faster rate.
We figured that Wilson would see the Europa model as a good idea, but with France and West Germany as the wrong partners for that particular project (of course, as we've seen in other updates, Britain does continue to collaborate with European partners in other fields, particularly those related to military aviation).
(Even you just did it!)
Thank you! Alas, even the Black Prince 34/Heavy is never going to be able to compete with American-made rockets, but it'll still do a lot better than any British rockets IOTL.
That's an intriguing coincidence. Dan-Air appears to have been a pretty big mover and shaker during its peak years in the 1970s and 1980s, despite their aged fleet. Given that you both flew your first flight with them, I was curious enough to seek out BAC-111 planes in Dan-Air livery, and to my surprise I encountered quite a number of them, including this one:
I hope that's brought about a blast from the past, especially since the plane in question (a model 515-FB) is currently (as at July 1, 1984) touched down at none other than Jersey Airport.
The Blue Streak rockets will continue to be manufactured in the UK - only they have the industrial base needed to absorb the ramp-up in production once Black Prince 3 is introduced (necessitating as many as five Blue Streak cores per launch). By this time (the mid-1980s) dedicated craft capable of ferrying the cores just about halfway across the world can be designed and built. In the mid-1970s, on the other hand? They would have to requisition a ship for the task, and the optimal vessel for the job is a WWII-vintage Landing Ship, Tank. Naturally, not many were still in service by the 1970s, but fortunately, one of them still was: the RFA Empire Gull. As the prefix suggests, she was transferred into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1970, where (IOTL) she remained until being scrapped in 1980. She would be chosen for the role because of her ability to disembark at Cooktown Space Centre, which has no port, as demonstrated in the image below:
She's rather sluggish, however, with a cruising speed at 10 knots. Our estimates have her making only three round-trip voyages between Southampton and Cooktown (via Halifax, to pick up the Centaurs, on the way Down Under) per year. This should be no problem in the era of Black Prince 1 and 2, but (once again) by the time of Black Prince 30/32/34, a ship that's either faster or larger (preferably both) will be needed to meet the increased demand for Blue Streak cores. Her replacement would probably look something like OTL's MV Delta Mariner.
Fun fact: the return trip from Cooktown to Southampton appears to be slightly faster via Suez as opposed to heading back through Panama - but since the stop-off at Halifax is needed to pick up the Centaur cores, the route to Cooktown will always be through Panama - meaning that the Empire Gull and any of her successors would likely be circumnavigating the Earth on each and every round-trip voyage, delivering cores which, when assembled, will launch satellites that will also circumnavigate the Earth, albeit at a much, much faster rate.
Thank you, Thande!
We figured that Wilson would see the Europa model as a good idea, but with France and West Germany as the wrong partners for that particular project (of course, as we've seen in other updates, Britain does continue to collaborate with European partners in other fields, particularly those related to military aviation).The design was very much a three-way collaboration between myself, e of pi, and nixonshead. I requested the blue-white-and-red colour scheme (in fact, I wanted more blue than was ultimately used), and the placement of the flags (you will note they are arranged in the same order as the stages of the Black Prince rocket - UK at the bottom, Canada in the middle, and Australia at the top). As far as any reference to Gerry Anderson, it certainly wasn't intentional on my end (having only a passing familiarity with his most famous work, Thunderbirds), but I know for a fact that e of pi is a big fan, and (although I can't say for sure) I don't think I'm going out on a limb to assume that nixonshead is one as well, and perhaps that might have played a partThande said:
I always admired the bluntness of the original Wiki entry on the British Space Program before it was expanded for clarity at the cost of brevity, hence my allusion here. Glad you enjoyed itThande said:Oh, and the starting obscure Landshark wiki reference made me smile
Just to add to this, we definitely saw the (IOTL, abandoned) plans for the 111-700 to be far and away the best shot for BAC/BAe to manufacture a commercially successful airliner. Unfortunately, that meant ditching the planned Rolls-Royce engines - though we were able to soften the blow by giving them work elsewhere, including on a project which will be mentioned in a future update.
As Daihbid says, there is no Cliff Clavin character on The Patriot. Most regrettable, yes, but as I've said many times: I'm not writing a utopia!
A deliberate reference, no doubt.Unknown said:
Undoubtedly so. What's a soap opera without catfights?
I imagine a definite overuse of the terms "barbs" and "zingers"Daibhid C said:
(Even you just did it!)
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The design was very much a three-way collaboration between myself, e of pi, and nixonshead. I requested the blue-white-and-red colour scheme (in fact, I wanted more blue than was ultimately used), and the placement of the flags (you will note they are arranged in the same order as the stages of the Black Prince rocket - UK at the bottom, Canada in the middle, and Australia at the top). As far as any reference to Gerry Anderson, it certainly wasn't intentional on my end (having only a passing familiarity with his most famous work, Thunderbirds), but I know for a fact that e of pi is a big fan, and (although I can't say for sure) I don't think I'm going out on a limb to assume that nixonshead is one as well, and perhaps that might have played a part
I wouldn't say it looks like the designs here were specifically inspired by Gerry Anderson shows. I suspect it would be more accurate to say that these designs and those of Derek Meddings (chief of effects for the Anderson shows, and most of the James Bond movies) show some clear similarities because they were both heavily inspired by real 1960s aerospace hardware.
The third anniversary of That Wacky Redhead (November 18th) is next week, and those of you who are longtime readers may be aware of my two annual surveys. The first is my reader demographics survey. Just as is the case with television, age is all that matters - to participate in the survey, simply post your year of birth (or PM it to me, if you'd rather not announce it publicly - you'll be nothing more than one of over fifty data points on the chart) and we'll see where (or rather, when) you stand amongst the thread's readership! In addition, I've been asking my readers to provide a list of their favourite episodes of Star Trek (I allow all 79 episodes - counting both parts of "The Menagerie" as one, but "The Cage" separately on top of that). Those submissions I receive are counted toward a "master" list intending to represent the tastes of the thread in general. Please provide no fewer than five and no more than twenty choices - you may also include honourable mentions, which will be used to break "ties" - otherwise, an episode listed is given one point, regardless of how it is ranked on an ordinal list. I'll report my findings from both surveys on the 18th.
Is there any particular reason I should have?
Well then, it's obviously a case of great minds thinking alike
Good question! We may yet touch on them moving forward.
No, though I must admit to being somewhat confused at such a specific questionUnknown said:
Is there any particular reason I should have?I think it's safe to say that they will not be divorcing before the end of this timeline. Beyond that? Who knows...Unknown said:
Born 1990. Don't want to put down a favourite Star Trek episode as I've only seen about half of them.
1991. Began as a TNG child, subsequently saw TAS on VHS. I got into TOS because it was the elusive one I could never find on TV, and was able to dedicatedly watch TOS around the millenia when Scifi played that back-to-back with Twilight Zone. And then I got the DVD boxsets when those came out and the rest is history. My fandom is weird because I saw the Original Series after watching the animated series, so basically it was cartoons come to life.
Concerning my favorite episodes, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is probably my favorite season one episode, along with "Balance of Terror", "Omega Glory", and "Errand of Mercy". I think it would have made a better first aired episode than the pilot or "The Man Trap". I'm also very much a fan of "Mirror, Mirror" and "A Piece of the Action". Concerning "Mirror, Mirror", one of my early introductions to TOS before I saw more than scenes of the series was a comic one-shot called "Fragile Glass", which was a comic sequel to that episode. I, not knowing about the Mirror Universe, thought it was just the mainstream Star Trek universe. Given comic books in the 90s and "Xtreme" redesigns, it seemed reasonable (which says a lot of negative things about 90s comics). I really like the series too much to be picky about favorite episodes. I suppose my favorites are the normal ones, along with any of the alternate earth episodes.
Concerning my favorite episodes, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is probably my favorite season one episode, along with "Balance of Terror", "Omega Glory", and "Errand of Mercy". I think it would have made a better first aired episode than the pilot or "The Man Trap". I'm also very much a fan of "Mirror, Mirror" and "A Piece of the Action". Concerning "Mirror, Mirror", one of my early introductions to TOS before I saw more than scenes of the series was a comic one-shot called "Fragile Glass", which was a comic sequel to that episode. I, not knowing about the Mirror Universe, thought it was just the mainstream Star Trek universe. Given comic books in the 90s and "Xtreme" redesigns, it seemed reasonable (which says a lot of negative things about 90s comics). I really like the series too much to be picky about favorite episodes. I suppose my favorites are the normal ones, along with any of the alternate earth episodes.
1982.
I actually am a fan of TOS, even though I'm from more of tue TNG era. My Mom actually got me into it as a kid (she used to watch it with her Dad after church when it was in syndication). The only channel that showed it when I was in middle school was a UHF channel out of Milwaukee that rarely came in. Since it was on at 11 or midnight, i had to record ot and pray the recording was in good enough shape to watch
If I had to pick some favorite episodes, I would have to go with Mirror, Mirror, Balance of Terror and Space Seed (the first I ever saw! Which was a treat, since i loved Wrath of Khan). I also have a soft spot for the Tholian Web, even though i havent seen it in years and cant remembwr why I loved it so much.
I actually am a fan of TOS, even though I'm from more of tue TNG era. My Mom actually got me into it as a kid (she used to watch it with her Dad after church when it was in syndication). The only channel that showed it when I was in middle school was a UHF channel out of Milwaukee that rarely came in. Since it was on at 11 or midnight, i had to record ot and pray the recording was in good enough shape to watch
If I had to pick some favorite episodes, I would have to go with Mirror, Mirror, Balance of Terror and Space Seed (the first I ever saw! Which was a treat, since i loved Wrath of Khan). I also have a soft spot for the Tholian Web, even though i havent seen it in years and cant remembwr why I loved it so much.
I was wondering if the better economic climate, more population etc means attractions such as RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach do significantly better ITTL?
Several boneheaded decisions regarding the ship were made when she arrived (removing her engines, crappy rewiring, change if use/destruction of rooms etc) as well as general bad management over the years almost caused her to be lost. Can The Queen be saved and thrive on This Wacky Redhead's world please?
Several boneheaded decisions regarding the ship were made when she arrived (removing her engines, crappy rewiring, change if use/destruction of rooms etc) as well as general bad management over the years almost caused her to be lost. Can The Queen be saved and thrive on This Wacky Redhead's world please?
