#rudder k

[touhoutunes]

Title: チルノが街にやってくる (Cirno is Coming to Town)

Arrangement: rudder-k

Vocals: >>96

Album: チルノが街にやってくる

Circle: HAPPY I SCREAM!!

Original: Tomboyish Girl in Love

[usafphantom2]

#TomcatTails

#TomcatTuesday

Super Low Transition or

“How to Make Friends and Influence People”

I owe this one to @TomcatJunkie as he’s been very helpful in getting #TomcatTails going and has voted for this story a number of times. First, the technical. On a normal takeoff, once you’re cleared by tower you’ll go to full military power and wipe the controls out to ensure they’re not binding (hitting all the corners….forward, aft, left, right, circle all around). Once good to go and no warning lights are on, you’d let go of the brakes (pressing the top of the rudder pedals to brake) and then select afterburner as the roll starts. The RIO is reading off the speed and monitoring how much runway is left (with a full afterburner jet, normally it’s “plenty”) and once he got to “130 knots”, you’d set the stick back a bit and as the nose lifted you’d set the climb angle to 10°. As the jet came off the deck, you’d maintain the 10°, raise the landing gear (wheel shaped handle on the left) and as speed got to 180 knots or so, you’d raise the flaps (flap shaped handle on the throttle quadrant on the left).

Normally, the course rules (how you’re supposed to depart an airport, altitudes, headings, airspeed) would hold you down to 1200-2000 feet until over water and then you’d climb out to do the mission. All fairly benign, all fairly routine, which is why any Fighter Pilot worth a sh*t would do a low transition on occasion, provided you can get away with it.

Low Transition – a takeoff maneuver where the pilot lowers the nose to level just after the aircraft gets airborne and levels off at a very low altitude (20-50 feet), then accelerates as the gear and flaps are raised to arrive at the end of the runway hauling ass like a raped ape (technical term), to ultimately a hard vertical or semi vertical pull, showing full planform of the jet to an appreciating audience on the ground and in the tower.

One had to be pretty good at this because there were a number of ways to totally f**k this up and get famous (or infamous). The first way was to raise the gear too early. In the Tomcat, there was a thing called the Weight on Wheels switch in the landing gear. When compressed, the gear would close that switch and a number of things would happen (can’t remember them all). When going flying, the second you got weight OFF wheels and the switch opened, the first thing you’d see was your AOA indicator lighting up (upper left on glare shield). Unfortunately, that switch opened JUST before the wheels were actually off the ground so if you were too quick on it and slapped the gear handle up the second you saw the AOA lights come on, the one thing the WOW switch did that I DO remember would happen next.

Once the landing gear is in transit, the braking system would lock the brakes to prevent you from having a very heavy, high RPM tire spinning inside the wheel well around all the electric and hydraulic lines. Too dangerous to risk the tire coming apart in there. In fact, I had a couple flights where you could literally hear the wheel spinning as that system was broken. That’s a gripe they took very seriously. So back to our low transition; if you were too quick on slapping the gear handle up, the wheel break would engage. While you were still on the ground. Moving at 140 knots. Yes, both tires would immediately blow. As it happened, you’d normally have enough smack to climb away from the ground, but now you’ve got several hundred pounds of savaged rubber in your wheel wells and you now have to come back for an arrested landing. Yay, you’re famous!!!

The other danger was a thing called ground effect, a flight condition where you’re technically airborne but not really flying. You’re not getting laminar flow across the wings producing lift, you’re just riding a cushion of air that develops under your jet. It’s never happened to me but as described, you’re in full blower, mushing along at 140 knots, 20 feet off the deck and not accelerating because of the massive drag in that regime. You can’t lower the nose to get airspeed and you can’t raise the nose to get altitude, so you’re stuck. The one story I heard about, the guy just maintained level and slooooooowly got some extra knots until he could actually get away from the ground and fly away after a very long (12,000 foot) trip down the runway.

All in all, there’s an old saying about low transitions: “You can only tie the record.” Implying that the record low transition was zero feet when the guy screwed it up and skidded to a stop after coming back down on the runway. Accordingly, it’s a bit of a risky maneuver, but it’s a considered risk leavened by skill and is always something you talk to your RIO about.

On this particular flight, myself and Blaster (from the Mirage 2000 story) were launching out of El Centro, CA to head back to Miramar after a detachment. It’s 90 miles away, we have a full bag of gas with no real mission, we’re a couple of JOs, we’re BFFs, and we’re in the desert with no one watching. License to steal.

Man up, start up, taxi, and then position and hold on the runway, taking off toward the west on Runway 26 (it points 260° on the compass). I tell Blaster we’re doing a low transition and going to see how many knots I can get to at the end of the runway. He asks if he should request unrestricted climb out (also a cool thing to go pure vertical on takeoff) and I tell him “Nah, just normal departure.”

We get cleared and we run ‘em up. Off the brakes and to full blower. Good acceleration, “130”, set the nose and lift off the runway. Give it an extra potato (second) to get REALLY off the runway, raise the gear and lever off at about 30 feet. Get the flaps up and maintain level and the jet starts to really accelerate. El Centro has an 8,000 foot runway so you’ve got about 1.3 miles to the end. And so you’re aware, every runway has markers left and right indicating how many thousands of feet are left before the end. So we’re hauling ass at 30 feet, nearly to 300 knots and Blaster’s reading the boards off; “3 board………2 board……….1 board………”…….and we get to the end of the runway.

At this point Blaster is expecting something to happen, minimally a little nose up to start climbing out. Nope. A few seconds later, Blaster says “field boundary”, meaning we’ve left the airfield proper and are now over the farming fields to the west of El Centro. I tell him we’re gonna just keep this profile for a bit longer and he says “cool”. We elevate just partially to 50 feet (because we’re not COMPLETE idiots) and just trundle west, accelerating the whole time.

Sh*t is going past us REAL quick now. Roads flash by in a blur. Riverbed……..FLASH! Power lines……ZIP!!! We’re trucking along at almost 450 knots by now, just over 7 miles a minute. I THINK we flew over some farming areas but things are just a blur. In the distance I can see a large tractor spewing a dust cloud behind it. Okey doke, he’s my pull up point. Just a little right stick, getting closer, just about to go under the nose and WHAM slap on a 6 G pull in full grunt to the vertical right over him. We come out of blower and roll inverted to pull down and stop at our transit altitude back to Miramar, like 16K’ or something.

I like to think that the hard-working farmer really enjoyed that show, having 60,000 pounds of Grumman Ironworks thump him at 50 feet and 500 knots. I like to think he went home that night and told his family all about “this really cool thing that happened”. I like to think that maybe even today he hoists his grandkids on his lap and tells them about “that one time I was in the presence of American greatness.”

But he probably still thinks “those #$%%$ #$#&*# Fighter Pilots!!!!!”

@RSE_VB via X

[luxudus]

The Six Lords of Ko-ve-dor, and an introduction to my friend's project Star Odyssey

One last art piece to end the year on a high note. It's an entry @jennywolfgal's sophont in her sci-fi / spec-evo / worldbuilding project Star odyssey. A far future where humanity and a few other advanced species help to found a Galactic Coalition of Worlds spanning half the galaxy. Everyone go follow her and check out her project!

I genuinley consider this atm my magnum opus in every aspect, Linework, Texturing, Coloring, Composition, and ESPECIALLY rendering.

    The Commonality of Ko-ve-dor is an alliance between multiple sophont species evolving side by side on the same planet. All working together towards the prosperity for all denizens of the known galaxy.

     Planet Ko-ve-dor, also known as Kepler-442 B, is a super earth in a 3 planet star system all orbiting a K-Type main sequence star known as O-uosa. Ko-Ve-Dor’s higher mass, larger magnetosphere, denser atmosphere, 3 moons, larger continents and O-uosa’s longer lifespan make Ko-ve-dor a superhabitable world. Capable of hosting more biodiversity than our own earth for a far longer time.

    Plantlife on Ko-Ve-Dor is just as complex as it’s animal life and it shows. Most terrestrial flora possess a segmented exoskeleton that vary in shape and size akin to an insect. Most forms of plantlife exhibit both radial and bilateral symmetry in their overall body plan. Some species of Ko-ve-dor plantlife can even take in their surroundings with special segments that act as one big sensory organ.     And aside from some greenish phytoplankton, most flora on this world take on a red pigmentation to make the most out of its star’s dimmer light.

Not only is Ko-ve-dor more biodiverse than earth. But it’s greater abundance of life and more surface area means there's far more consumable biomass too. Allowing it’s animal life to reach greater heights and the option for greater brainpower. This paired with evolution’s trend towards more socialization. Means that sapient life has developed not once, or twice. But six times, all within a similar enough time frame for them to all interact with one another.      As each sophont species is a good representative of Ko-ve-dor’s kingdom of life. We will be skipping over the planet’s animal life to discuss their biology.     The Dor-Eø are the largest of the six sophonts and represent the planet’s many soft-bodied invertebrates. They take on a body plan very similar to earth’s flatworms. And being filter-feeders, they fill a niche not too different from whales. Their large carpet-like fins are actually enlarged partially external gills to aid in respiration. And they manipulate their environment with their two mitten shaped mandibles and opposable tusk thumbs.     They live in tight-knit nomadic pods where they ride the waves in search of plankton. They hunt said plankton like dolphins, continuously switching roles to either shepard the plankton and strike the condensed schools. And as they achieved sapience they’ve built nets to catch more plankton and dorsal fin flags to distinguish which pod they’re apart of.     The Dor-Ssri’ii represent a sapient species of aquatic, radially symmetrical fish analogs. They possess twelve eyes, with three on each side, a four sided jaw, and eight fins, four anterior fins and four posterior fins. Their intricate color palette helps them blend in with the yellow and red reefs.      They live in borderline eusocial schools where they manipulate their environment through their mouth like a tuskfish

    The Ko-Ka’Kta are terrestrial relatives of the Dor-Ssri’cai, these are a sapient species of para-reptilian pack hunters native to the deserts and shrublands of Ko-ve-dor. They retain their radial symmetry and are quite basal compared to their relatives. Their forearms have atrophied into small rudders used by females to attract mates and live in matriarchal packs.     And they manipulate their environment with four highly specialized tongues. Their lack of claws or fangs pushed them to crafting an array of weapons to hunt. That and their hierarchical pack structure paved way for sapience    The Ko-A’atur represent the most derived group of Ko-ve-dor’s Vertebrates. Descending from a group that forgone their radial symmetry and became secondarily bilateral. Their heads hyper-elongated to the point where it’s now two separate body parts all together. Their lips have pulled back and became large flaps to cool off and express emotions.     Of all the sophonts they live the least socially, They forage and occasionally hunt in groups of 3-5 individuals. But the social bonds formed are so tight and complex that it managed to bring them up to sapience.     Onto life in the sky. The Ve-Huik are one of two representatives of Ko-ve-dor’s aerial invertebrates. They are a species of hexapodal invertebrate flyers protected by a sturdy exoskeleton. They fill a niche similar to parrots,  capable of crushing nuts and fruits with their large mandibles that clench together like a fist. They live in small flocks and communicate by short whistles and hums. And they manipulate their environment with their remarkably dexterous six legs.    

    And lastly the Ve-Z’qi, a Is a seafaring relative to the Ve-huik, they are a sapient species of flying arthropod analogs native to the many coastlines of Dorveko. They live in nomadic flocks, hopping from island to island. They hunt their aquatic prey by looking for disturbances in the water before diving in to catch their target     Their history is one defined by sheer first contact and a long road to equality. The Dor-Eø and the Ve-Z'qi,a were the pioneers of exploration due in part of their nomadic lifestyles giving them a global range to freely explore. Slowly each species would suddenly learn the existence of their contemporaries and how to work with them.     Their society is egalitarian and very xenophilic, each species is born with full citizenship and everyone regardless of origin and identity are treated truly equally. yet their government is surprisingly autocratic. Each planet is ruled by a handfull of philosopher kings and queens who come from all walks of life. And are chosen by the state based on their view of life and understanding of the humanities. All to improve the lives of their people. They are also very welcoming towards outsiders, and have made themselves a beacon of liberty and safety for the galaxy's downtrodded.     With so many different sapient minds at work in a society that promotes harmony and teamwork. The Ko-ve-dor Commonality has advanced rapidly, being able to become a spacefaring civilization a thousand years before mankind. Their architecture and spaceships are large and bulbous, containing vast aquariums and spacious domes to accommodate all the different lifestyles. And have become one of the Galactic Coalition of Worlds' most important members.     Depicted here is a human diplomat posing with a friend group eager to take a photo with an unfamiliar face.

I'm happy i managed to get this out before 2024, though there still maybe work to be done, mainly to expand on their worldbuilding, and i hope everyone else has a happy new year!

[kvalenagle]

Since Pridelord has been out for a bit now, maybe it's time to show one of the amazing Brenda Lyons interior art pieces. Rudder is a cerulean kingfisher + giant river otter gryphon who lives next door to the Winter Jungle, a flooded forest that's only a dry 'jungle' in the winter months.

[fireteampassenger]

Dread Pirate McGrath

TYPE: Audio

DESCRIPTION: Audio turned over from Ghost: Puca (Guardian: Kyra)

PARTIES: Four [4]. One [1] Lightbearer-type, Class Warlock, designate Kyra [K]. One [1] Lightbearer-type, Class Hunter, designate Ashley [A]. One [1] Lightbearer-type, Class Titan, designate Rook-8 [R], One [1] Ghost, designate Tallo [T] (Guardian: Ashley)

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[A] SWEEP THE DECK, LANDLUBBERS, OR IT'S THE BRIG FOR YOU!

[K] Ashley! Get down from there!

[A] NAY! THE OTHER CAP’N’S MIGHT SIT PRETTY IN THEIR CABINS, BUT DREAD PIRATE MCGRATH LEADS FROM THE CROWS NEST!

[K] Please, you’re embarrassing me.

[A] THE ONLY EMBARRASSMENT BE THE GALEY SLAVE RAPSCALLIONS WHO THINK THEY CAN FACE OFF AGAINST THE SCROUGE OF THE STARS!

[K] You’re not a…oh forget it. Hey Rook, check the engines, make sure we're good to go.

[R] Ok.

[A] NAY BELAY THAT!.....CHECK THE RUDDERS AND MAINSAILS YE SCALLYWAG.

[K] What? I…I already told them to do that.

[A] DON'T YE PLAY COY WITH ME! I BE THE CAPTAIN, AND YOU, WENCH, THE MEASLY BILGESNIPE!

[K] Do you even know what a bilgesnipe is?

[A] .....HOIST THE COLORS! WE SET SAIL FOR THE CARIBBEAN!

[K] *groan*

[R] This is your fault. I told you, don’t show her those movies unless you want “Dread Pirate McGrath” for the next month.

[A] THAT’S “CAPTAIN” DREAD PIRATE MCGRATH TO YOU, QUARTERMASTER!

[R] Make that two months.

*explosion*

*alarms*

[K] Crap, enemy ship, portside!

[R] I’ll check the damages!

[K] Alright Puca, let's see what this whole arc thing is all abou…where's Ashley?

*cannon fire*

[A] AVAST!

[T] Captain down.

[K] Ugh.

[aerovanti]

7 Essential Books Every Aviation Professional Should Read 

Aviation is a field of perpetual evolution and innovation. Whether you're an aspiring pilot, an aviation engineer, an air traffic controller, or an aviation enthusiast, staying well-informed is crucial to success. One of the most effective ways to gain a comprehensive understanding of aviation is through reading. The following list compiles seven essential books that every aviation professional should consider reading to deepen their knowledge and expertise.

"Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying" by Wolfgang Langewiesche Wolfgang Langewiesche's classic masterpiece, "Stick and Rudder," is an indispensable guide for anyone aspiring to become a pilot or seeking to enhance their flying skills. This book delves into the fundamental principles of flying, explaining the relationship between an aircraft's controls and aerodynamic behavior. With clear explanations and insightful anecdotes, Langewiesche demystifies the art of flying, making it a must-read for aviation professionals of all levels.

"Fate Is the Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann Ernest K. Gann's captivating memoir, "Fate Is the Hunter," offers a unique perspective on aviation through his personal experiences as a pilot. Gann narrates thrilling anecdotes from his time as a commercial pilot, providing readers with a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of early aviation. This book offers valuable insights into the human aspect of flying and the critical decision-making that aviation professionals face, making it an essential addition to any aviation enthusiast's library.

"The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough David McCullough's meticulously researched biography, "The Wright Brothers," pays homage to the aviation pioneers. Wilbur and Orville Wright's determination and innovation led to the world's first powered flight, forever changing the course of history. This book sheds light on the brothers' journey, from humble beginnings to groundbreaking achievements, inspiring aviation professionals to push the boundaries of what is possible.

"Introduction to Flight" by John D. Anderson Jr. For those seeking a comprehensive textbook on the principles of flight, "Introduction to Flight" by John D. Anderson Jr. is an excellent choice. This book covers various topics, including aerodynamics, propulsion, and aircraft performance. It's an essential resource for aviation students and professionals, offering a solid foundation in the science behind aviation.

"The Human Factor in Aircraft Accidents" by David Beaty Safety is paramount in aviation, and "The Human Factor in Aircraft Accidents" by David Beaty explores the role of human error in aviation mishaps. By analyzing various accidents and incidents, Beaty highlights the critical impact of human factors such as communication breakdowns, fatigue, and cognitive biases. This book is a valuable lesson in aviation safety and encourages professionals to prioritize human factors in their daily operations.

"Airframe" by Michael Crichton While not a technical manual, Michael Crichton's thriller "Airframe" offers a gripping exploration of the aviation industry's inner workings. The novel follows an investigation into a mysterious airplane accident, uncovering corporate intrigue, media sensationalism, and technical complexities. This fictional tale provides aviation professionals with a suspenseful yet thought-provoking narrative that raises questions about the real-world challenges faced by the industry.

"Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot" by Mark Vanhoenacker "Skyfaring" by Mark Vanhoenacker provides a poetic and captivating perspective on flying. As a pilot for a major airline, Vanhoenacker shares his unique experiences and insights into the beauty of flight, the global interconnectedness it brings, and the awe-inspiring views from the cockpit. This book offers a refreshing take on aviation that reminds professionals of the wonder and privilege of their chosen field.

these seven essential books offer a diverse range of insights for aviation professionals looking to expand their knowledge and deepen their understanding of the industry. Each book contributes a unique perspective that can help professionals excel in their respective roles, from technical manuals to personal narratives. Whether you're a pilot, engineer, or enthusiast, these readings have the power to inspire and inform, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art and science of aviation.

[lonestarflight]

"A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Nactory N3N-1 Canary trainer on a seaplane ramp at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, circa 1942. The plane has panels removed for maintenance just aft of the engine.

Note: This N3N is BuNo 0265. This airplane is the only N3N-2 that was ever built. It was made to help correct some flight characteristics by raising the location of the horizontal elevator in relation to the lower wing. This is 0265 with a -1 rudder fitted as the -2 rudder was a different design all together. You can see the differences in tail design by looking at any picture of the -1 version."

NHHC: 80-G-K-13390, 80-G-K-13390

[scotianostra]

On January 31st 1918 a series of tragic evens occurred on the Firth of Forth which has become known as The Battle of May Island.

This was one calamity after another, at 18:30 a secret navy exercise known as EC1 involving the 13th Submarine Division (known a K-boats) and a number of Destroyers, Battleships and Light Cruisers had sailed from Rosyth.

The K-boats were specially designed to operate with a battle fleet and soon all the waiting boats were ready to sail. The orders were simple; all boats would follow in line and sail out of the Firth of Forth, head north passing the Isle of May before eventually heading direct north to meet up with the

At the head of the line, two cruisers would lead the way; HMS Courageous and HMS Ithuriel which were backed with submarines K-11, K-12, K-14, K-17 and K-22. Then came the   battle cruisers which included HMAS Australia, HMS New Zealand, HMS Indomitable and HMS Inflexible with their destroyers. Finally HMS Fearless which was backed by submarines K3, K-4, K-6 and K7. In total with each boat sailing in a single line, it stretched for 30 miles.

At 18:30 the boats sailed from nearby Rosyth and were sailing with dimmed stern lights and were maintaining radio silence due to the sighting of a German submarine in the area earlier that day. The fleet were not helped by misty conditions whilst travelling under the cover of darkness. Then luck changed and disaster struck. Submarine K-14 rudder jammed and the boat struck K-22 and unfortunately both boats were locked unable to break free from each other.

The huge battlecruiser HMS Australia narrowly missed the stricken K-boats and disaster had been averted. But not for long. Communication eventually reached the lead Light Cruiser HMS Ithuriel about the original collision and the captain of the ship decided to turn around and head back to the two K-boats which had struck each other. Alongside the Light cruiser, the other K-boats also followed her back but communication was poor and unfortunately the boats and submarines further back, lead by HMS Fearless were unaware of the accident ahead and ran straight into their sister flotilla.

Over the following minutes, disaster struck as HMS Fearless rammed K-17, and the submarine sank with the loss of all life in a matter of minutes. Submarines K-6 hit K-4, and nearly cut her in half but locked together but had K-7 fast approaching. Spotting K-6, she just managed to avoid her, but was totally unaware of K-4 lying across her path, and a further collision ensued. The second hit proved fatal for K-4, and she sank. Only nine men were pulled from the water, and one of these died before he could receive medical treatment.

That evening a total of 104 men lost their lives as two submarines were sunk, four submarines were damaged along with the light cruiser HMS Fearless. Despite it being remembered (black humour) as the ‘Battle of the Isle of May’, there were actually no enemy warships involved and only a combination of bad luck and human error resulted in such a great loss of life. The terrible events of that night took place just 1.5 miles off the north end of the Isle of May. It will never be forgotten.

[touhoutunes]

Title: アサルトオブチキン (Assault of Chicken)

Arrangement: Pizuya’s Cell

Vocals: めいど

Album: 惻隠の情とシェイム

Circle: Pizuya's Cell

Original: Seraphic Chicken

[usafphantom2]

On This Day In 1970 The Grumman F-14 Tomcat Made Its First Flight

December 21, 2019 Military Aviation

the first Full Scale Development (FSD) Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo 157980) during its first flight in 1970. (Image credit: Grumman)

It’s the anniversary of Turkey’s first flight.

On Dec. 21, 1970, the first Full Scale Development (FSD) Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo 157980) took off for its maiden flight from Grumman’s flight test centre at Calverton, on Long Island.

The poor weather conditions forced the two test pilots flying the first “Turkey” (as the aircraft would be later nicknamed), Grumman chief test pilot Robert K. Smyth and project test pilot William Miller, to cut the maiden flight, carried out a month ahead of the contracted data, short. However, in spite of the short duration of the flight (consisting in a few visual patterns with wing swept forward), the F-14 had taken to the air for the first time: the first of many flights in the U.S. until the last one conducted in 2006.

An F-14 with bomb markings earned during Operation Desert Fox in 1999, aboard USS Enterprise. The aircraft’s role evolved during the years and the F-14 also carried out the bomber mission in a variant also referred to as “Bombcat”. (Image credit: Author).

The F-14 BuNo 157980 took off for the second test flight on Dec. 30 with the two test pilots swapping their seats: Miller sat in the front cockpit and Smyth in the back. The second flight is quite famous in the story of the Tomcat, as the aircraft crashed due to hydraulic failure: a mishap that was caught on camera by a chase plane.

Ezoic

Here’s how we described that second sortie in a previous article we published here at The Aviationist:

It was during this flight that a chase plane noted that the Tomcat was leaving a trail of smoke: shortly thereafter the F-14 experienced a primary hydraulic system failure forcing Miller to head immediately back to base.

While they were preparing to land, the secondary hydraulic system also failed, due to the use of the emergency nitrogen bottle to lower the landing gear: once it failed, the crew tried to rely on the Combat Survival System which had to supply the power to the rudders and tailerons only.

However this last limited control system showed signs of failing as well, the pilot lost control all over the aircraft and the crew was forced to eject.

The breakdown was caused by a fatigue failure of both titanium main hydraulic lines due to a coincidence of pump resonance and a loose connector: ironically, the F-14’s hydraulic system was fixed by changing from titanium to stainless steel hydraulic lines only.

As you can see from footage (around 03:20 min), the crew ejected only few meters above the trees but, luckily, they suffered only minor injuries.

Sadly, Miller died on 30 June 1972 when its Tomcat crashed into Chesapeake Bay during preparation for an air display with the tenth FSD F-14 (BuNo 157989), while Smyth passed away this year.

Both Smyth and Miller contributed in bringing the last in a long tradition of Grumman Cats to life.

The F-14 is still flying in Iran.

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

@theaviationist via X

[hiighhonors]

(  TOBY  STEPHENS,  CIS  MAN,  HE/HIM.  )  could  that  really  be  TRISTON  ARRYN,  the  RULING  LORD  of  THE  EYRIE  and  HAND  OF  THE  KING  entering  the  keep  ?  king’s  landing  is  sure  to  benefit  from  the  FIFTY  SIX  year  old’s  ability  to  be  both  COMPETENT  and  PRAGMATIC,  but  beware,  whispers  also  say  they  have  been  known  to  be  HARD-HEADED  and  STUBBORN.  their  loyalty  belongs  to  ORYS  BARATHEON  and  they  SUPPORT  the  notion  of  peace  throughout  westeros.

       S T A T I S T I C S

☽ name : triston arryn

☽ nickname/s : tris

☽ title/s : lord of the eyrie, hand of the king

☽ age : fifty six

☽ gender : cis male

☽ pronouns : he/him

☽ sexual orientation : homosexual

     B L O O D  T I E S

☽ parents : lord benedar arryn, jirelle mallister

☽ siblings : one sister, likely married! so hmu

☽ spouse : tbd tbd tbd tbd but she's dead. sorry 

☽ other family : mallisters of seaguard! arryns of gulltown! in laws from his wife's side

☽ children : lord utp arryn, son & heir. lady alyse arryn. lady utp arryn.

     P E R S O N A L I T Y

☽ positive traits : here

☽ negative traits : here

☽ skills : here

☽ habits : here

☽ likes : here

☽ dislikes : here

     A P P E A R A N C E

☽ hair : deep copper auburn, still bright in his age, mostly kept trimmed short. an auburn beard, kept thick and long.

☽ eyes : clear pale blue, framed by deep lines, charming but determined

☽ notable features : his hair is unmissable, and he is generally known for his large physical presence, broad shouldered and immediately noticable.

☽ clothing & style : tris dresses practically and comfortably, generally in riding leathers unless for an official court appearance. he favours the arryn colours of blue and white, often mixing this with blacks and midnight blues. he is not against finery when it suits his political purposes, but in general prefers quality over anything flashy. most notable would be his chain of linked golden hands.

     P L O T T I N G  H O O K S

☽ platonic : tris needs political allies. he is a good, successful hand, keeps the nobles in hand, and has a calming effect on the council room whenever he is present, but he cannot be everywhere at once and is always suspicious that the other councilors do not take their job as seriously as he does. he is intrinsically loyal to house baratheon over the realm and has his faults, but overall he keeps a firm hand on the rudder of the realm and i would love him to have a good solid faction of support at court! people who respect his honour and stability - even if he's not very exciting.

☽ romantic : to the outside world triston arryn is a typical nobleman - more honourable than most, perhaps, given that there were no rumours that he was unfaithful to his wife while she lived, and he has no bastards and frequents no whorehouses. he is courteous to ladies and popular with them for his tranquil charm and his genuine interest in their lives, but since his wife's death he has been able to dodge any offers of remarriage through claiming grief - and his old age. deep down, however, triston is all too aware of where his heart belongs: he has been orys baratheon's man for as long as he can remember, since he fostered at storm's end, and though the king does not reciprocate his feelings, triston has accepted his own feelings well enough. there may be few, very few dalliances with other men in the past, but only with those who are hyper discreet. he is uncomfortable around those who are flamboyant with their paramours and would not tolerate such in any brief relationships he has had. overall: a man who is so repressed he makes himself miserable. gay divorce era etc.

☽ antagonistic : triston is more loyal to orys baratheon than to the realm, or even the throne, and he has made no secret of it. he is the king's man, and does not tolerate opposition. through the years he has made unpopular decisions, not only financially, but also because he will not accept any rebellious rumblings, no matter how justified, and comes down with an iron fist on those who do not toe the line. families of those he may have imprisoned (or worse) will resent him, as will other great houses who view the eyrie as having too much power and influence at court. tba !!!

[lastconcourse]

Halloween: Basement, bedroom:

half-overcast sky, windows somewhat alight with sun

an alive white Stove rolls in: Its burners lift and drift to its low sides,

mount, uncoil and re-wrap to make four wheel-rims.

Rain on a skylight glass: the wet window is a scalp

Gypsum boxes and corners are the walls of a skull.

Wheelstove: I miss cooking you lunch,

your basement was our rib cage

….my hands feel useless…

I can’t find our lungs.

A clothing rack on tank treads drives in. It stops, and speaks:

“You never want to wear the gifts I get you”

A microwave turns into a gondola on a burlap airship. It hovers and replies:

“I made him dinner; he won’t even touch one plate of what’s leftover….

So ungrateful.”

Hallway more brightly lit;

new knowing of losses+Time’s flight

Thinking forwards from the dirt diamond by a gas station

craftsman siding is the skin on timber cheekbones.

Wheelstove: Make my longing travel:

from low in the angry left corner, toward far up as a balloon fish in the top right sky.

As for now;

I just was, and will again be alone,

cooking a memory in our rib cage.

A disk of dim sunlight on my Autumn;

the cloudcast sky; a gray crystal dome

is a VTOL craft with a gantry

and two large parenthesis for clamps

and it floats over the proscenium arch,

its steel propellers turning through noonlight rain:

That’s the Sunlightfog arriving.

Bed frame is the rib bones; window drapes the torso skin

The fogged window is an unclean jacket

Wheelstove: soul + pictures encased are

shot out the bell of a glass musket into ↑ orbit ←

That for them. But for me? Should I, that? should I even think

that I in the Heavens should forgiven be? I look out the window—

Sunlightfog: I’m ease of mind. I’m peace which drifts foreverywhere

Wheelstove: One who can’t be killed?

***

Seven years back, one side of the mattress burned

and the burnt leftovers froze.

Now three ungloved hands pick up

pieces; of the crumblechank of ice + crumble of roasted wool

,and unload them in a trough of carbon fluid, at downstage middle;

brown flurry, slowly drips through a factory.

Now the stove acts by remembering:

one cold hand flips a toggle on the console of the Anatomy-Arranger:

Sheetfoam+ash+springs melt, flow, harden into beams

and are welded bolted and wrenched together as bones, with muscle,

and drinking-straw tendons.

***

A robotic duck with a chainsaw head walks in and fells an oak tree,

The tree trunk is stripped barkless, halved, and carved into a duo of legs that stomp on the porch.

A soda can opens like a barnacle, and tapemeasure-tendrils wave out.

Clotherack:

“that was the last drink, I am so thirsty, you couldn’t save some for me?”

A suitcase opens like a clam. A tongue made out of an exercise band ejects a greasy steel block which goes high to the left, and impacts the airship: Now the Airship bursts and crashes to the floor.

Microwareship:

“I am….popped”

Car Keys+Diploma+Portrait+Toolbox+Keycard+Tombstone

personal items are all melted/mixed→crumpled→flooded with Sunlight,

poured in a bubble-shell which is then released to swim upward; so

records of identity become a jellyfish big as the day sky

over the big stage floor: ↓

Rusted Keys+ID photo+Birth Certificate+Razor+Backpack+Shoes ↓

Rustad Keyis ID Phorta Binth Certofecate Razop Bapacker Shoesar ↓

Ruystald Keyris g’ID Phortans bingth Cero’fecalle ba’padder Sho-seart ↓

cruystald kteynris ogi-Ortans Bwingths cepro’fepelle bar-pudder s-Hseart ↓

cruystal k-Tenrils oi-orgtans Wingths ePro’fepeller baRudder H’seart

Crystal Tendril Organs Wings Propeller Rudder Heart

↓

This Soul-Shield/Heaven-Enterer is now

Shot through a green glass pistol from the past, through Earth’s present orbit, then past Time itself.

[ohskz]

GQ put out a Chan solo interview today (9/16/21) where he talks a lot about his trainee period and upbringing. I’m dropping some highlights here because it’s a cool read.

(...) He auditioned for JYP Entertainment at 13, entering their training program only to watch the friends he made debut (...) while he remained stuck and frustrated in the practise rooms for seven years. To this day he’s unsure of what made him stay. “That’s something that I ask myself as well, I’m still very intrigued by the fact they kept me here,” he ponders. “Trainees come and go, they get cut by the company or they leave by themselves but I had no thought of leaving, they had no thought of kicking me out. I think the company found potential in me, and I felt potential from the company as well. It was a two-way thing.”

As a youngster, he remembers frequently moving from suburb to suburb in Sydney. The eldest of three, he describes himself as “a very curious child. You know how there’s a saying of “curiosity killed the cat”? Yeah, well, with my curiosity, I got into a lot of trouble.” His parents enrolled him in taekwondo and soccer, and, aged seven, he found an affinity with swimming, his winning swathes of medals leading his father to set up a swimming club.

Music was a constant throughout childhood, it was, he says, “always there”. His mother recalls him spontaneously breaking into little dances in the street as a toddler, bemusing passers-by, and it was her wide-ranging love of pop—Air Supply, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra—that instilled his own. He joined the school choir and took part in his class music shows, recognising his love of music and entertaining was something worth pursuing more seriously.

During difficult periods in his idol training, when he often felt what he calls “lost”, he questioned that decision. “I did think, ‘Maybe being an idol is not the right path for me, maybe I should have just kept swimming, maybe I should have become a soccer player’,” he says. “When I’d get really tired, I always thought, ‘I took a ten hour trip. I said bye to all my friends and family, I said bye to a lot of things to come here, am I going to go back?’ And that motivated me to keep going. I didn’t want to regret it.”

(...) Leading a K-pop group bears no resemblance to fronting a band and relishing the spotlight. Rather it tasks the bearer with being a dependable rudder and anchor for the group. Growing up, Bang Chan would naturally canvas friends’ opinions on what they should do when they hung out, endeavouring to see everyone had a good time. He was also a school prefect—“I wasn’t the best prefect,” he laughs—while home life presented its own challenges with two siblings, aged nine and seven years younger than him. “We kinda had it rough back then, it was tough,” he says. “And because Mum and Dad would be so busy working, I’d take care of the kids. Taking responsibility came without me knowing.”

(...) In some respects, he says, three years as an idol hasn’t changed him all that much. “I’m still the person that tries to think of others first and be aware of my surroundings. What has changed is the physical stuff—performance, stage presence, producing, singing, rapping, my body structure” (...)

The more he writes and produces, the more progress he sees in the quality of his work, then chastises himself for pointing this out; “I don’t know if I have the right to say this myself, because I still have a lot of improving that needs to be done.” He’s someone who struggles to compliment himself, habitually raising others as he downplays himself. “Maybe it’s because I’m expecting myself to be better so I’m pushing myself harder.” Bang Chan slowly inhales, thinking. “Another reason could be, well, I don’t think I actually, really love myself. It’s not like I hate myself but because I’m still trying to search for the real person that I am, I’m still awkward. It’s funny, because I’ve never thought of helping myself out. That’s done by the members right now, they acknowledge the stuff that I do and compliment me because I don’t compliment myself. That’s something I’m really thankful for.”

The independence afforded to Stray Kids has made Bang Chan prolific as a writer and producer but he seeks out, as he has for years, the trust and creative friction within 3RACHA to continually challenge himself. The classical piano lessons which he took from the age of five (and guiltily recalls hating) drilled into him discipline and structure, which is a boon and a burden. “It gave me limits with my own music and sometimes when I’m working, I’m like, ‘Can I go a little further? Maybe? But, ah, I need to match this to what music is supposed to be like’. Changbin and HAN have helped me so much. Sometimes we clash but [we find] a centre point where we all agree, then something new comes out and we break stuff. With them I’ve realised I can have fun with music.”

He also credits his bandmates with helping him “realise who I am as I slowly find the path”. Yet Bang Chan turned a significant emotional and artistic corner this year on NOEASY, instilling songs such as ‘The View’ and ‘DOMINO’ with acceptance, confidence and a renewed hopefulness. Perhaps he’s further along his path than he realises. “I think that’s right,” he muses slowly, thinking aloud. “During Kingdom, (...) especially ‘God’s Ddu-Du-Ddu-Du’ stage, I felt good because Stray Kids [as an identity] felt so good on me. And just imagining myself this free and excited about everything—that made me feel like, ‘That’s who I really am’.”

(...) “Like, 20 years from now, I have no idea what’s going to happen. So, as long as I do what I’m supposed to do, I believe that the universe will package my future for me,” he says, serenely. Maybe he’ll still be taking to the stage with Stray Kids or maybe not, but he remembers having had a dream set in the future and it was one that made him happy. “It was kind of a funny dream... of townhouses, like a little village," he says, "but we had eight houses, and each of us were living there in our own house and just having a really, really great time.”

Full article: Meet Bang Chan: the Australian-raised leader behind one of K-Pop's most innovative boy bands

[shiningsagittarius]

The Penultimate Peril

Er, whoops- wrong franchise

(Book and show spoilers up ahead! And to your right, you’ll see a sign that says “these are my thoughts and opinions”)

1 x 07

STARTING OUT STRONG WITH KATE’S MISSION!!

The m u s i c 👌👌👌👌

HER SNEAKING UNDER THE CONSOLE

The keycard isn’t working omg

I have no idea what to make of the Jackson and Jillson banter XD

“Not. A. Rat.” A very husky mouse?

“Given his memory challenges…” “…His short-term memory is spectacular”

“That’s a plausible theory… I buy it” Rhonda my absolute beloved

The rudder 😰

Oh cool she’s straight up at the edge of a dANGEROUS CLIFF

SHE’S LITERALLY HANGING ON THE EDGE OF A CLIFF, THIS BRAVE GIRL!!

Constance guessed Sticky’s dream!! Reading his mind, or just an accurate guess? 🤔

Sticky is starting to sound like Dr. Curtain……

Reynie actually spoke sternly for once! …And then immediately apologized XD

I CANT WATCH THEM ARGUE IT HURTS SO MUCH 😭😭😭

“I’m telling you, Kate’s fine!”

Again, Sticky has a valid point

THEY’RE DUSTING FOR FINGERPRINTS OH NO-

HAS SHE BEEN HOLDING ONTO THAT CLIFF ALL FREAKING NIGHT???

(AND NOBODY HAS LOOKED DOWN ONTO THE SHORE???)

THE B U C K E T

Are they… having a funeral for Milligan???? 🥺

Well… at least you tried to cheer them up, Number Two

THE ADULTS ARE ON THE MOVE!!!!!!!

MISS PERUMAL!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Curtain is actually starting to lose his cool!! Have I praised Tony Hale enough for his performance yet?? Well, I will again!! XD

But seriously, this is the first time we’ve heard Dr. Curtain yell in the whole series.

Go ahead, say “Snakes and Dogs!” Don’t be shy!

What laboratory did this Jack Black clone escape from?

DONT EVEN LOOK AT S.Q. YOU BASTARD

GO OFF SHEPARD QUAID

“Kate ‘The Great’ Wetherall, the Trapeze Goddess!”

NOOOOOOOOOOOO

(Not to be rude but did somebody mess up the special effects? It kinda looks like there’s a clear outline around Kate as she’s falling)

If only someone was nearby….. someone who, perhaps, might have washed up on shore after a terrible submarine accident…..

THEY

MILLIGAN MY BELOVED, YOU LITERALLY WASHED UP ON A SHORE AFTER BEING UNDERWATER FOR HOURS AND THE FIRST PERSON YOU SEE IS KATE, WHAT’S NOT C L I C K I N G

The two of them having a heart to heart…… I Simply Cannot

“I had to act! So I-“ “Fell off a cliff and nearly died. All alone.” KILL ME NOW ACTUALLY

Milligan getting that faraway look in his eyes whenever he’s explaining what he’s been through djhslsgskdhs

Kate thanking him 🥺🥺🥺

Oh thank God the bucket is ok

Uh oh, the Recruiters are patrolling the cafeteria…

“Wetherall’s Widget”

YESSSSS STICKY IS SNAPPING OUT OF IT!!!!

“But the real you won out. I knew it would.” Top 10 Friendship Moments

AND THEY’RE GONNA HAVE THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE RECRUITERS PATROLLING THE AREA?!?!?!!??!

I really wish Kate had overheard Dr. Curtain talking about the Improvement and the server room like she did in the books :(

UH OH REYNIE

“Imagine, he could ask everyone to mail him a dollar and become a billionaire by the end of the week.” Freaking fantastic how this line manages to be a bit funny and quite menacing at the same time. I genuinely love this show

Ms. Perumal and Mr. Benedict have switched sides now!

(We interrupt this review for… me literally having to walk away from the show for a few minutes because I was just so overwhelmed by how good this episode is)

She wrote him a letter. After all of his mental letters, she wrote him a letter. I think. I think I need to lie down. Excuse me.

Ok we get it Nathaniel, you know Reynard means Fox 🙄

Ughhh that screeching noise 😖

Dr. Curtain flipping out on the stenographer 😬

“Then let’s try documenting the exchange without the T-S key” that’s a bit…. Very difficult

Dr. Curtain is menacing as hell, I would NOT like to be in Reynie’s place rn

Reynie’s long winded lie about using the bathroom

Mr. Benedict stressing about the mission and the kids’ safety 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

THE FALCON

SHE STOLE THE LETTER AAAAAAAA

Reynie omg……… I would almost believe his lies, but Dr. Curtain sees right through it

Oh yea, I was wondering what “the dance of the celestial orb” means

DR. CURTAIN IS QUIZZING HIM ON ASTRONOMY NOW????? I CAN’T STAND THIS MAN

Glue on her fingertips? Does that actually work?

MARTINA???????

“ONE ATTACKED ME AS A SMALL CHILD… IT DID NOT WIN... SO, WE DANCE AGAIN”

IM CACKLING AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Building montage!

“You’ve built one of these before, right? Was it functional?”

“You’re the only one I can trust!” PAIN. SUFFERING, EVEN.

S.Q.’s pointillism painting 🥺

THE FALCON STOLE HIS LUNCH HDKSGSHGSJS

OH DAMN THE L E T T E R

S.Q. is probably reading that letter like

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

He must be heartbroken oh my g o d

Dr. Curtain is hanging on by a thread at this point

They’re starting the Improvement 😰😰😰

Reynie told S.Q. everything!!

And S.Q. has a change of heart 🥺

SHE SMUGGLED MARTINA IN THAT BAG?! XD

Martina is gonna make me cry…. I never thought I’d see the day……

FELLAS!!!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

HE. THE LETTER. MS. PERUMAL’S LETTER. THEY. I’M-

“Of course. 🙂 I always have time 🙂 for my son 🙃”

I’m so unbelievably concerned for S.Q. I seriously thought Dr. Curtain was gonna backhand him or something-

“How do you so convincingly fake a tetherball obsession?” HDKSGKSGSKSG

“I still have a cassette of his talk” 😭😭😭

“Feels good to have the old Benedict back, doesn’t it?” I CARE THEM. I LOVE THEM.

GAH THEY FOUND THE CABIN. THEY FOUND HIS TWIN. OH GOD OH NO

SHE WANTS TO TAKE MARTINA WITH HER

This scene with then debating if they should leave is so close to the book omg

THEY’RE A TEAM AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Milligan is stuck in the ceiling hckdgdksgkdgdksghs

THE K E Y C H A I N

“The clothes of someone who had given up.”

HE KNOWS HIS TWIN IS OUT TO GET HIM NOW THO!!!!!

A FREAKING DIRIGIBLE!!! THEY WERE BUILDING A D I R I G I B L E OH MY SWEET LORD

TLDR:

This is certainly the most suspenseful episode of the series, my stomach was in knots for 90% of the episode! The pacing was also very cutthroat, it worked surprisingly well. They were able to fit so much into this episode! They’re slowly but surely moving back to some book scenes/plotlines (or at least, the echoes of things that happened in the book), but also blending it seamlessly with what they’ve established in the show. I might actually sob while watching the finale. This episode was an 11/10 idec that’s not a real rating this is my blog I’ll do what I want

No meme today, I’ll just leave you with this song (from the official MBS playlist)

[airmanisr]

Comper CLA.7 Swift 'G-ACTF' by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n S.32/9. Built 1932 Owned and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection and seen on the flightline during the collection’s 2022 Season Premiere Air Show. Old Warden, Bedfordshire, UK. 1st May 2022 The following history for G-ACTF came from the Shuttleworth Collection Website a few years ago. Sadly, the current website does not include such fascinating information: - “The Comper CLA.7 Swift was designed by Flt Lt Nicholas Comper in 1929. It was a small monoplane of wooden construction with plywood and fabric covering. The folding wing was mounted on top of the fuselage to give the pilot a good downward view. The prototype Swift was powered by a 35hp ABC Scorpion engine, but the first seven production aircraft were modified to be fitted with the 50hp British Salmson AD9 radial engine. To improve the aircraft's performance for air racing, Comper then fitted Pobjoy radial engines as standard, although three Swifts were fitted with de Havilland Gipsy engines. Richard Shuttleworth was a director of Comper Aircraft and owned two Comper Swifts. 41 Comper Swifts were produced and today there are six complete Comper Swifts in existence, some replica Swifts have been built. The Collection’s Comper Swift was the ninth Swift to be built in 1932 and a 15 minute test flight was made on August 24 1932 by Nick Comper. It was originally registered to Alban Ali as VT-ADO 'The Scarlet Angel' and spent the first part of its life in India. It was a competitor in the 1933 Viceroy's Challenge Cup Air Race in Delhi. Also competing in this race was Richard Shuttleworth and his flying instructor George Stead, racing in two more Comper Swifts. Alban Ali came sixth with the second fastest time at 124mph. Richard Shuttleworth retired from the race. After the race Ali left Delhi to fly the Swift back to England escorted by George Stead. During this flight Ali had to make a forced landing near Gaza and VT-ADU was badly damaged. After repairs Ali continued his flight, but the engine was not working properly and Ali crated VT-ADO and shipped it to Heston. 'The Scarlet Angel' was then sold to George Errington who rebuilt it and re-registered the aircraft as G-ACTF on May 24 1934, with the aircraft then flying soon after. Errington then flew the Swift all over the country and abroad and listed all of the places that the aircraft had visited on the rudder. The aircraft was sold in 1937 to Francis K. Luxmore who kept the Swift at Portsmouth where it remained during the war. In 1948 it was bought by test pilot Ron Clear. Clear groomed the aircraft for air racing and cleaned up the airframe, in the 1950 Daily Express race, the now silver G-ACTF finished in fifth place with an average speed of 141mph. G-ACTF was sold in 1951 and went through several owners until being sold to BOAC pilot Alan Chalkley who flew it extensively. In 1990 it was put into storage until being purchased by the Collection on August 16 1996. It had not flown for six years, but made its first display appearance in 1997. Over the years G-ACTF had been extensively modified with an enlarged cockpit, wheel spats, brakes and other parts. During 1998 it was overhauled and restored to its original factory condition and paint scheme.”

[manjuhitorie]

Interview with Shinoda - Guitar Magazine March 2021 - English Translation

I began to wonder "What have I been deeming as ‘good’ all along?"

-Thank you for coming all the way out here. To kick it off I’d like to ask what the story behind the title ‘REAMP’ is.

AMP is like the recording mechanism, correct. I recorded by re-amping a lot this album, after it was recommended to me by our engineer. I recreated most of the sound in an amp simulator, sampled it at home on a line-in, then brought that in to the studio. There I sent the line-in signal to the guitar amps, recorded the sound coming from the amp, and voila. This way the guitar playing and the sound engineering become two separate things. At home I focus on the recording, at the studio I focus on the mixing.

-That’s a great way to localize your focus.

Though my workload multiplies (laughs).

-Ultimately you’re spending even more time focusing (laughs).

Yep (laughs). To put a long story short, we dipped our feet into new techniques for this album. So when it came down to deciding the title, 'Restart' or 'Reload' or any words with the prefix 'RE' were among consideration, but we couldn't find a good one. When at last I remembered that I had re-amped (laugh). I proposed the idea, it clicked with everyone, and now here we are.

-A bit of a double meaning to it then. What felt the most different this time in regards to the new techniques?

Back when wowaka was with us, he was the ultimate judge over whether a take or sound was good or bad. But now I have to be the judge and the one who takes the rudder myself... The main difference is that I need to become the axis now. When I was alone at home it hit me just how little I had a sense of good and bad (laughs). I began to wonder "What have I been deeming as ‘good’ all along?��.

-I see. What do you find difficult about singing and playing Hitorie’s music?

I found that I don’t have much leadership (laughs). I’m more fit for the sidelines and such... I’ve had a long career of being the lead guitarist, wherein there’s always been another leader figure above me who’s actions I’ve responded to and taken my own approach to.... A correspondent presence in a way....

—Then the necessity for a number one in command popped up.

Yep. It was like, I was really in a pinch back there. If I was to get anywhere, before anything I needed to establish my own standards of good and bad. I looked back at the music I’ve loved throughout my life, and started from there.

-Were you able to establish your own judgment through this album then?

I did what I could do. But, I’m still missing something... I don’t think it’s something you can find through just one album. I still haven’t, and there’s parts of the album that I still feel my optimization was lacking. I feel that I want to make a more polished, less rugged around the edges, piece. I’ve only established the groundwork for now. Such as what makes good music, the rhythm, pitch and so on. The basics.

-What makes good music ‘good’ to you, Shinoda?

Hmm... Phrase before sound... I think there needs to be a phrase before anything. To put it simply, the music needs to be what’s encouraging the phrases. Whatever achieves that the most effectively tends to be what I deem as good music. There’s a bunch of options when it comes to even strumming one chord. To use a single coil, a humbucker, a P-10.... Not to mention that strumming different will change how a chord resonates. Each note has its own goodness scale as well. Contemplating all that is what makes music.

-When I look at your music itself, I can see how this came into play as well. The phrases themselves have become less complex, while the riffs have become even more powerful. Especially ‘curved edge’, a killer tune even among the rest.

My bandmates and I each pitched in to write the music for REAMP, I wrote 10 while they wrote 1 each initially, basically I had to write a lot (laughs). And the last and final piece I wrote was ‘curved edge’.

-I see.

We intentionally lessened the riff-tastic music, we were eschewing following the old ‘Hitorie formula’. I made more chilled out downers. But the more I did it, the less interested I noticed my bandmates become (laughs). It didn’t click with me myself either, and it didn’t bring us together much. I thought I was doomed to never write a song that would properly fit Hitorie.. When I got the idea to write a song that mixed intense riffs and modern beats, ‘That I might be able to do’.

-In a way you wrote that song at wit’s end.

From there I drew inspiration from K-Pop. Stuff like Blackpink. Wherein you can’t discern if the climax of the song lies in the hook or the riff. I found that interesting, thus can the climax of ‘curved edge’ be found in the riff. Enough that the hook is the riff itself. When I told the members, their reaction was positive as well.

-It fits the modern Hitorie. In a previous interview Yumao (drummer), when looking back on Hitorie’s history, had mentioned that Hitorie could write music without a peep, after so many years together. Following this change to your writing formula, is that feat still possible, have your exchanges with your bandmates changed as well?

-When it comes to my written pieces, well... It depends on the song. For ‘curved edge’, ygarshy and I didn’t share a word. While we were making the demo song, I asked him to ‘Just play bass that works with this’, and with that little information he actually pulled off something incredible. I was like ‘Holy shit’ (laughs).

-The first verse alone is a stroke of talent (laughs). How about the drums?

The beat is unlike anything Yumao had played for Hitorie before. 4/4 beats were always our go-to, but we tried to venture a little into unknown territory. So I handled the  director job quite a bit, the drums may be the aspect I directed the most actually. It turns out that my concept of beat is completely different from wowaka’s.

-What do you mean exactly?

-I’m probably not... as much as wowaka.. No wait. I can’t say this for sure but, he was someone who was creative with his beats, so he tended to conjure up ones that would be virtually unplayable in context. I make up beats that are out of control sometimes too but. I stick to the rules, or, how to put it... Even when I make up a brand new beat, the voice in the back of my head will tell me ‘Wait, there’s rules’.

-I see. So wowaka wouldn’t bother with the rules much.

I haven’t put much deep thought into wowaka’s perception of beats until now though, this is only a quick assessment from my experiences. Though near the end, it seemed like his mindset changed to ‘It’s better if I let Yumao play however he desires’. Imyself haven’t reached that level yet.

“I need my love for guitar to grow even more, I say.“

-Allow me to ask you about the guitar solos. In the songs ‘Marshall A’ and ‘dirty’ are the solos in abundance and in the spotlight. What do you deem as good and bad in terms of guitar solos?

For me there’s only two types of guitar solos. You either play well, or you don’t (laughs).

-That’s a strict guideline (laughs). How do discern between the two?

It ultimately depends on the song. I like solos that are played “poorly”, such as by Momo Kazuhiro of MO’SOME TONEBENDER. I think their’s are awesome. When each and every note of a solo is poignant, it actually brings out the charm of electric guitar. So I think that solos can be wonky as hell, or precise as hell. Or in the middle is okay too. I like solos that are catchy with proper phrases to them even. Like HI-STANDARD’s ‘Fighting Fists, Angry Soul’, the solo could be a song on its own. It depends on what fits with the song. In regards to the solos of Marshall A, they fall into......

-The ‘Played well and proper’ solos.

That’s it. The song kicks off with unsteady distorted notes, but the solos are clean, it’s gap moe.

-The tone is clean as well. Did you intend for it to be gap moe?

To a degree. Like, 'is this really that kinda song' (laughs). On the other hand, when it came to 'dirty' the song has always been nothing but alternative rock style since the get-go.

-The solos are full of grunge and fuzz after all. ygarshy wrote that song, correct.

'Cause ygarshy and I are the same age from the same generation, our ideas match up as well.... For this song, it was like the Nishikawa Susumu idea- (laughs).

-I see (laughs). Back to what you said earlier, that your "optimization was lacking". How would you like to evolve as a guitarist?

I don't think I'm Hitorie's guitarist anymore. In the current world I'm in I'm not just a guitarist, I'm a singer-song writer, and that's become my primary focus. Yet despite that guitar is still absolutely a must for me. It brings the physical world and the world of music together better than anything. Thinking about it, my approach towards guitar is probably going to evolve after this as well. Up until I've played as Hitorie's guitarist, adding and adding to the sum of Hitorie's parts  (laughs). My attention was always on how to optimize to hell. Going forward my attention is probably going to shift when I play guitar. But that doesn't change the fact that guitar is essential for bands in general, and essential for Hitorie as well..... Aghh, I never thought about what it means to be a guitarist to me up until now (laughs).

-(Laughs).

I think my ideal guitarist self is still far away though. But I've grown a lot by being with my bandmates, and I can't be losing my eagerness to learn. I need my love for guitar to grow even more, I say (laughs). That's where I think I'm lacking. There's still so much about guitar I'm yet to understand, and that's my weak spot. There's a lot for me to reflect on.

Gear: Fender 1963 Jazzmaster The main guitar used in REAMP, a jazzmaster on borrow from wowaka. The serial number points to it being a 1963 issue. The saddle on the bridge has been swapped out to an Astro Notes. Shinoda selects the front for concerts/recordings, and doesn’t use preset switches. The guitar you can hear from the left channel in “High Gain” is this one. While the guitar you can from the right channel is a Tokai LP.

Fender 1965 Jaguar Also on borrow from wowaka, it was heavily used in Hitorie’s previous album ‘HOWLS’. For ‘REAMP’ it was used for the backing of ‘dirty’ and the main riff of ‘Utsutsu’. In regards to the Buzz Stop Bar, Shinoda himself prefers the musical range he can reach without it, but others oft react better when it’s on.

Pedal board: 1 WEED/GCB-95 mod wah 2 BOSS/TU-3W tuner 3 S-Distortion SASAKI 4 Prescription Electronics/Experience 5 Octave Fuzz & Swell 6 Keeley Electronics/Son of Fuzz Head 7 E.W.S./ Arion SCH-Z mod chorus 8 BOSS/PS-6 harmonizer 9 BOSS/DD-20 digital delay 10 Providence/Provolt 9 power supply

His guitar signal inputs at 1, then connects all the way to 8. He adores his 1 because there’s a gain knob on it, and as soon as he turns it on can he drive*. His main distortion pedal is number 3. His standard is to set  the volume knob at 12 o’ clock, the tone at 11, and the gain at 8. To give himself a boost in guitar solos he turns on pedal number 5, with the volume set to max. Pedal number 6 found its use in the song ‘(W)HERE’ on Hitorie’s album ‘Imaginary Monofiction’, but recently its fallen out of relevance for him. 7 was used in the song ‘Montage Girl’ on Hitorie’s ’Roomsick Girl’s Escape’, and harmonized phrases in general. He primarily uses 8 for the short delay, and it found usage in ‘curved edge’.

Amplifier: Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Marshall 1960 AV The number one weapon is volume. Shinoda’s main amp is this Hiwatt. The reason he started using it was because ’The only thing that could oppose the volume of wowaka’s Matchless amp was a Hiwatt’. The clean sound of it is what brings bass to Shinoda’s playing. For concerts that will be recorded, he sets the EQ bass, mid, and treble knobs all to 11 o’ clock. He sets the presence knob to about 13 o’ clock, but this gets adjusted every performance. This one stays the highest to ensure his music comes up front. He alters the high frequency and the level it pierces the ear with his pedals.