CLEAR JEWEL TONES

Isn't this seating area by Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson simply lovely? This is the sort of color palette I tend to think of as "nature-true" - Wilkinson calls it "clear jewel tones." You would certainly find this combination of blue and petal pink in a sunset-on-sea, wouldn't you? I've had Tony Duquette on my mind lately; he inspired a little Christmas project I'm working on, and now I seem to see him and his fabulous designs everywhere. I'll be sharing the project results shortly, but in the meantime, enjoy some Duquette via Lonny, September 2012. Be sure to click through to Lonny to enjoy the entire spread on Duquette's fabled home, Dawnridge.

Happy Weekend!

Spitfire: Whatever became of Evelyn ?

The Spitfire "Evelyn"

Whatever became of her ?

Many of us aircraft nuts who grew up in South Africa were enarmoured by Evelyn, the only airworthy Spitfire, lovingly restored at the SAAF museum in Lanseria. 
We were all distraught when she was subsequently sold to a foreign collector.

I recently did an online search, and discovered her whereabouts:

Spitfire HF. IXe MA793, painted as "Evelyn"  SA in the 1980s

This aircraft was produced at Castle Bromwich and was delivered to 6 MU RAF on 21 July 1943. It was shipped to the Mediterranean on 5 August 1943 and was operated by the Mediterranean Allied AF till it was transferred to the USAAF on 31 October 1943. It was returned to the RAF in May 1944 and stored with 39 MU in the UK till it was sold to the South African AF on September 30, 1948, serialled 5601.

 It is currently on display at the "TAM Asas de Um Sonho" Museum, located in Sao Carlos, Brazil. It is also the only airworthy Spitfire in South America. The aircraft was donated to the museum by Rolls-Royce and painted in the colours and markings of RAF ace Johnnie Johnson.

About the restoration:

The Spitfire "WR RR" or known locally in SA as Evelyn....is not the original aircraft Bob Rogers flew in WW II

This aeroplane, historical as it is, was merely painted to resemble his Spitfire. It was not his original Spitfire they restored from the scrap heap and painted as WR RR. Evelyn was named after his wife. His actual Spitfire WR RR; was a clipped wing Spitfire MK9E, which he flew as 40 Sq OC in Italy. Bob's aircraft is often depicted as the aircraft above in models and aviation paintings, but the historical truth is that his original aircraft was a clipped-wing MK9E.

"Evelyn" today, in Brazil

Serial #: MA793

Construction #: Unknown

Civil Registration: N930LB

Model: HF Mk. IXe

Name: None (Known as "Evelyn" In SA, Painted as above)

Status: Airworthy

Note:

Only Spitfire existing known to have flown with USAAF.

History: 

Delivered to RAF as MA793, 19??.

- Assigned to 6 MU in July 1943.

Transferred to USAAF as MA793

- BOC: Oct. 31, 1943

- SOC: May 1944.

Delivered to South African Air Force 5601, Sept. 30, 1948.

Meerhof Hospital for Handicapped Children, Pretoria. Apr. 27, 1954-1967.

- Displayed in playground.

Larry Barnett & Alan Lurie, Johannesburg, 1967-1986.

- Rebuilt to flying condition.

- First flight Aug. 29, 1975, Johannesburg-Jan Smuts.

- Flown as SAAF PT672/WR-RR.

- Loaned to SAAF, Lanseria AB, 1976-1986.

Larry Barnett International California, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, July 14, 1986-1999.

- Shipped to Chino, CA, first flight Jan. 1, 1987.

- Operated by David G. Price/Museum Of Flying, Santa Monica, CA Aug. 1986-1999.

-- Flown as RAF/EN398/JE-J

Rolls Royce PLC, Filton, UK, 1999.

Transportes Aereos Regional- TAM/Wings Of Dreams Museum, Sao Carlos, Brazil, 1999-2002.

- Shipped to Brazil from Camarillo, CA, Jan. 2000.

- First flight, Jundai, Brazil, May 3, 2002.

- Flown as EN398-JE-J.

SEA BITS

That's what I call all the little bits of oceanic detritus I'm always dragging home. For instance, this past week I went shopping for Christmas decorations at Michael's, but came home with these:

I was actually trying to buy totally normal things like Christmas ribbon, and wrapping paper, and not be maimed by hoards of shoppers toting baskets and carts full of dangerously pointy objects (have you ever noticed how pointy Christmas decorations are? Stars. Fake poinsettia petals. Glitter branches. Elf hats). 

Anyway, if you feel like buying some Christmas shells, Michael's has great stock for under $10 (a bag of varied shells and the large abalone pictured above). 

Also, I saw these for sale. But I'm still a little too traumatized to talk about it.

P 51 Mustang Oddities I

P 51 Mustang Oddities Part 1

As the top fighter aircraft of the end of WW2, the Mustang has had a few interesting (and some odd) spin-offs:

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is probably one of the strangest, born on the success of the twin boom-tailed P38 Lightning someone had the idea of combining the fuselages of 2 Mustangs. 

They built 270 of these things, and interestingly the first three North Korean aircraft shot down during the Korean war were victims of these unusual aircraft.

Based on the iconic P-51 Mustang, which rose to fame as one of the USAAF’s most successful fighters of WWII, the F-82 Twin Mustang more or less lived up to its name. It was essentially two P-51′s fused together at the wing and the horizontal stabilizer. It was initially intended to be  a very long-range (VLR) escort fighter to accompany Boeing B-29 Superfortresses on their missions over Japan. However the first F-82′s were only ready for service after WW2 had come to an end.

 Development of the North American F-82 Twin Mustang began back in 1943, when the company began work on a fighter that could travel over 2,000 miles (3,220 km) without refueling. Although the aircraft is based on the P-51 Mustang, there were a number of changes necessary to make the aircraft airworthy and fit for its role. The fuselages were lengthened by 57 inches (145 cm) in order to accept additional internal fuel tanks and equipment. The center section of wing was also completely redesigned. Within this central wing six M2 Browning machine guns were fitted. In addition the outer wings were strengthened so they could carry additional fuel in external drop-tanks, or extra ordinance such as rockets or bombs.

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang’s first outing didn’t prove very successful as the aircraft was unable to get off the ground. After a month of investigation engineers figured out what the problem was. The propellers had been designed so that they spun in opposite directions to counter each other out, and they both turned upwards as they approached the center wing. However this resulted in all the lift from the central wing being cancelled out from the drag of the propellers. By switching the rotation of both propellers, so they now met as they were turning downwards, the problem was rectified.

Early prototype F-82′s both featured fully equipped cockpits so the pilots could alternate control on long flights. However later night-fighter versions of the F-82 Twin Mustang only had flight controls on the left side. The right side cockpit was for the radar operator.

To match its odd design the F-82 had another quirk. It was one of the only aircraft in which the trainer version was faster than the combat version. This was due to the fact some of the earlier F-82′s were powered by British-made Merlin engines. However the US military decided it would be more fitting if the aircraft featured an all-American engine, so later aircraft were fitted with less powerful GM Allison engines.

During its lifetime the F-82 Twin Mustang saw service as a long range interceptor to safeguard against Soviet air attack, it operated as a radar-equipped all-weather night fighter, it was used as a air-to-ground attack aircraft, it was the first aircraft to take part in a combat mission during the Korean War and it was the first aircraft to score confirmed kills in the Korean War. Interestingly, although the F-82 Twin Mustang excelled during the first few months of the Korean War, as the conflict went on it was becoming increasingly obvious that propeller driven aircraft had no future in air-to-air combat as jet fighters were increasingly deployed by both sides.

After just seven short but busy years of service the North American F-82 Twin Mustang was retired in 1953. It remains one of the most successful weird aircraft ever to have flown.

At least five examples of the North American F-82 Twin Mustang exist today, and they are held in various museums and locations across the US.

Swiss Air Force Jets Landing on the Highway

Swiss Air Force Highway Landing Maneuvres

Some classic pics, never been seen before, forwarded to me by Captain Werner Naef (Ret.) of the Swiss Airforce. They depict maneuvres he took part in with the Swiss Air Force for a possible Cold War situation where their bases had been destroyed, and they needed to land on the nation's highways:

Werner (L)  and Friend with a Pilatus Trainer, high in the Swiss Alps

This post has raised some discussion on a German Language Aircraft Fan-Site "Flugzeug Forum" recently.

Neither Werner or myself have been able to register or post a comment on questions posed on that site; so here a reply from one of the pilots (pictured above) involved: 

"Since I'm not authorized (as a non-member of that forum) to respond directly I can only mention that some comments have already answered the question this most recent Blog has been asking.

In all the fotos on your website that show Swiss Venoms or Hunters on a highway landing I've been part of those events. The Venom event was the first ever seeing air force jets landing on highways, and the Hunter one was at a later date, but had been the first one with Hunters going to land on a Swiss highway."

GIFT GUIDE: A DECOR BOOK CHRISTMAS

All I want for Christmas is...

...so many decor books that I have to put shelves over the windows, a la Kelly Wearstler.

I adore books, and my collection, while out of hand, shows no signs of stopping. This Christmas won't be any exception, with so many decor books being released just in time for the holidays, and I'm giddy at the thought of adding each of these tomes to my already bowing shelves! Most are from names you'll know; a few are first-timers. ALL are full of inspiration and great ideas - and all of them will look great on your shelves, too!

Kelly Wearstler's fourth book, Rhapsody, is just out. Modern Glamour, Domicilum Decoratus, and Hue are her previous three, and all already on my shelves. Modern Glamour was one of my early design book buys, and still a favorite.

Amanda Nisbet is a blogosphere favorite, and it's easy to see why - the cover alone has gold palm fronds, malachite fabric, and mad color. Subtle, it ain't.

Now here's a fun one, and you might find it a touch too portable to shove on a shelf. Mrs. Lilian's Cocktail Swatchbook is full of lovely recipes, and even lovelier design.

Miles Redd's first book, The Big Book of Chic lives up to both size and chic - and that's just the cover. I keep hoping he'll do a book signing in D.C.!

 Another lovely book by Charlotte Moss - her eighth, I believe. I really enjoyed Charlotte Moss Decorates (and I DID manage to get that one signed), so I'm looking forward to this new treat. Bonus:  the red coloring would pair beautifully with the Miles Redd cover above for a little book pile in holidays hues. Maybe Santa Claus can come early?

I'm ashamed to say I first came across Kathryn Ireland as a designer through Million Dollar Decorators, although I was already familiar with her fabrics. The new season just started, and it's already a treat!

Nate Berkus is owning it right now - I feel like he's everywhere! The new collection for Target is a hit (provided you can find it in a store; but that's a little Target Corp. issue, and not his fault). Safe to say this book is going to be a hit too. 

You had me at orange. Blogger Heather Clawson debuts a book on working in style - a must-get gift for any friend who works from home!

Ronda Carmen, of blog All The Best, also gets print credit to her name this holiday season, with a tour de force of interior designers at home, including Charlotte Moss, Celerie Kemble, Barry Dixon, India Hicks, Vincente Wolf, Bunny Williams, Jan Showers, Martyn Lawrence Bullard - the list reads like a Who's Who of 21st Century design greats. It's sure to be inspirational!

Finally, Michael S. Smith's latest book, due out in 2013 but available for pre-order, is, according to Smith, a guide to the "perfect American house." We'll have to stay in suspense until next year!

All of these titles are available at the Shop It On Your Shelf! Amazon store.

/Images/ Kelly Wearstler library, The Coveteur/ All book images, Amazon.com/ 

Turbulence ahead: Turbulence 101

Turbulence 101 or "Turbulence for Dummies"

Useful information for fearful flyers

Jet wake or wash turbulence

On a recent flight to New Orleans, our 65-seat plane was gliding through the sky as smoothly as a swan on an unruffled lake. Then it hit a bump. And another.

A soda on a tray sloshed in its cup. The aircraft dipped, pitched and dropped several feet. A couple calmly set down their sandwiches and locked hands.

The flight attendant suspended beverage service and strapped herself into her seat. I looked out the window, at the clear blue sky and the bunny-tail clouds, and cursed the diabolical force that I could feel but not see.

When planes hit turbulence, we often start to despair and think the worst. Falling to the ground like a disabled bird, for example. But experts tell us to banish those doomsday thoughts.

"Planes don't come crashing out of the sky," said Patrick Smith, a pilot with 20 years of experience. (One exception: If you're Denzel Washington playing a tortured soul who turns a plane upside down to stop its dive in the new film Flight.)

Brian Tillotson, a senior technical fellow at Boeing, once comforted a nervous flier with this warm biscuit of wisdom: "This plane is designed to survive a crash, and this is nothing." He recommends that timid travellers adopt his mantra as their own high-altitude om.

Despite the hard facts and the placating statements, turbulence can rattle even fliers with nerves of reinforced steel. Two main factors weaken our resolve like kryptonite: our lack of control and our limited understanding of atmospheric conditions and airplane mechanics.

"Turbulence is far and away the number one concern of fearful fliers," said Smith, who hosts the website Ask the Pilot. "If I get 10 letters from nervous fliers, nine of them are questions about rough air."

Instead of staying in the dark, where things go bump in the cabin, I turned to scientific and airline industry experts and asked them to demystify turbulence and describe any advances in the art of its detection and avoidance. Armed with this knowledge, we can sprout wings of confidence that will carry us gently through the rough spots.

TURBULENCE 101

Class, pull out your e-notebooks for Turbulence 101.

By simple definition, turbulence is a disturbance in the regular flow of air. (Experts often use water as an analogy, such as an eddy on a river or a fish in the waves.)

The agitated air moves up or down or sideways, putting pressure on the plane's wings.


The vessel responds by pitching like a rodeo bronco or bouncing like a pogo stick. A plane, however, is not easily bullied by rogue air. It's built to resist. (For visual proof, check out the YouTube video of Boeing testing the wing strength of the 787.)

"On a roller coaster, everyone is screaming for joy," said Larry Cornman, a physicist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. "In an aluminium tube 30,000 feet in the air, it's the same principle, but you have no control."

Atmospheric chop is not monolithic but divided into subgroups with distinct characteristics.

Clear-air turbulence is caused by variations in the jet stream. It ramps up in winter, when the jet stream - zippy air currents in the Earth's atmosphere - migrates south, and often plagues flight paths over the Pacific.

Convective turbulence is created by thunderstorms and often occurs in the summer, when rumbling storms dominate the weather forecasts. Low-level turbulence is associated with strong winds, terrain and buildings, while wake vortex turbulence results from a lift as strong as a tornado.

Finally, if you've ever flown over the Rockies and landed at Denver's international airport, you've probably witnessed your cup of coffee shimmy and shake. The culprit: mountain wave turbulence.

"Turbulence is normal. It's part of the sky," said Smith. "It's not about the plane but where the plane is."

Turbulence follows a rating system similar to that of a spice-o-meter at an Indian restaurant - light, moderate, severe and extreme.

Cornman describes the stages, from mild to serious, as water rippling in a glass, liquid flowing out of the vessel and the cup flying through the air. Most passengers experience the swirling and spilling phases, but never the most intense situations, which can cause injuries and structural damage.

When a weather system threatens such peril, pilots do their utmost to avoid the roiling air. If stuck in an ugly patch, they will attempt to steer the plane toward calmer air, climbing to a higher altitude or changing course.

Pilots rely on numerous systems to track turbulence, including weather forecasts, radar, communication with air traffic control and updates from other planes in the vicinity.

"In general, we have a reasonably good idea of where the rough air is," said Smith. "But it can be more of an art than a science."

PINNING DOWN TURBULENCES

To help take the guesswork out of the pin-the-tail-on-the-turbulence game, physicists and other industry specialists are working on innovations that detect unsettled air.

For instance, Boeing installed the Vertical Gust Suppression System in the new 787 Dreamliner. VGSS acts like a super-beagle: Sensors in the plane's nose detect volatile air, then relay the message to the aircraft's brain, which automatically makes adjustments to reduce the bump. Passengers will probably sleep right through the tweak.

In May, the company received a patent on another invention, a GPS unit that can read the "twinkle" of the radio waves for more than 200 miles, thereby identifying erratic air flow. (Quick debriefing: Stars appear to twinkle when upset air bends and bobbles the light as it travels through the atmosphere; same deal with radio waves. Apologies for crushing the fantasy of stargazers who thought that little aliens living on stars were flicking their bedroom lights on and off.) At this early stage, no planes are equipped with the GPS unit.

Cornman, who was instrumental in the GPS program, is also tackling the turbulence issue at the federally funded center. Under the sponsorship of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), he and collegues developed the In Situ Turbulence Reporting Program, detection software that allows participating airlines (Delta, United and Southwest so far) to share reports on rough air.

Also in his bag of new tricks: radar software that can track "stuff embedded in the air," a useful tool for recognizing convective turbulence, and "lidar," lasers that detect small particles in visibly clear air and measure their motion. Delta uses the new radar capability, and the Hong Kong airport has installed the uber-lasers. Researchers are also throwing some brain cells at improving weather forecasting, which could inform pilots of upcoming chop.

"Turbulence is pretty dynamic," he said. "Pinning it down is pretty hard."

BELIEVE THE NUMBERS

If you're a nervous passenger, you've most likely heard this one before: Flying is safer than driving.

Don't argue with the prophet, because it's true.

"Commercial air traffic, in terms of turbulence, is pretty darn safe," said Cornman. As evidence, he cited the last crash caused by turbulence - in 1966 near Mount Fuji in Japan.

In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,442,000 car accidents, including more than 22,000 fatalities and almost 2 million injuries. The same year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) documented one major accident and 14 injuries on commercial planes, and no fatalities.

But don't be so quick to unbuckle your seatbelt and freely roam the cabin. Turbulence is the No. 1 cause of in-flight injuries, with crew members often suffering the highest number of bangs, bruises and broken bones. The FAA reported that turbulence injured five passengers and 28 crew members last year. Over the same period, the NTSB investigated 10 turbulence-related accidents.

"If people followed the rules," said Smith, "the statistics would be even lower."

Protecting yourself is as easy as insert, click, adjust. Even when the pilot turns off the sign, keep your seatbelt on. If the plane suddenly jolts, you don't want to bump heads with the ceiling.

You can also reduce the intensity of turbulence with a little planning. Larger jets provide more stability than smaller planes. For example, in the same wily patch of air, a passenger in a 747 might feel a mild bounce, while a traveler in a six-seat Cessna might complain of moderate bumps. Also, choose a seat in the middle rows, over the wings, instead of in the front or back of the cabin.

"Imagine a soda straw. Hold it in the middle and see how it flops," explained Tillotson of the phenomenon. "Air pushes on the wing. The nose and tail bounce."

Most important, remember that the rockiness will pass. With this as your mantra, sit back and enjoy the short ride on the atmosphere's waves.

"Instead of the seatbelt sign," said Cornman, "the pilot should turn on the 'wheee!' sign."

I'll throw up my hands to that.

SUPER SIMPLE THANKSGIVING TABLE DECOR

Pumpkin-mania swept the land this Fall; it's the new peanut of agrarian consumerism (goes with sweet, goes with salty - but does NOT cause asphyxia). Being of the pumpkin persuasion myself, I saw nothing at all regrettable about this, although friends from other countries found it rather baffling. As a food, the pumpkin also has a surprising alter-ego as a decorative object. For instance, no one on Pinterest this year offered chevron painted turkeys, or stenciled marshmallows, but painted pumpkins were all the rage. Best of all, pumpkins make an incredibly simple, yet lovely addition to the Thanksgiving table. Below are a few easy ideas for adding beauty to your board this Thursday.

Larger pumpkins interspersed with candles make a pleasant centerpiece (if you do have time to DIY, paint a few in metallic shades; the shimmer will go nicely with your holiday china and sterling).

If berries are still booming in your area, twining them around a few pumpkins brings a festive note to the table (and you can always cheat with a few branches of berries from Hobby Lobby!).

Don't put away your summer vases just yet - they'll look marvelous filled with baby pumpkins.

If you're really short on time, grab a small serving tray and let nature do the rest.

And my favorite - a pumpkin cooler!

/Images/ White pumpkin centerpiece via HGTV/ Berry-wreathed pumpkins by photo stylist Karin Lidbeck/ Orange pumpkins in glass/ White pumpkins in glass, via Better Homes and Gardens/ Pumpkin line-up via Good Housekeeping/ Pumpkin party cooler via Martha Stewart/

Now, how hard was that? 

SMALL ROOMS IN "WIDE OPEN SPACES"

Thanks to The Denver Post online for running a story by Jura Koncius on my apartment! It's been so much fun hearing from small-space dwellers from across the country (or folks just looking to cheer up a room). Do you have a wonderful small space tip you'd like to share? Leave a comment for me below, or on Facebook. I'll do a post with some of the best tips soon!

Photographed by Katherine Frey, The Washington Post

P.S. I think that orchid plant is on its way out. I've been on the fence about it for a while, but from this view, it looks like it's trying to eat the room! I hope it doesn't come after me in the night...

MINIATURE MONUMENT

THIS.

Mary McDonald

I'm on the hunt for some great obelisks! With the Washington Monument just down the street, this seems like a fun DC send-up, without going "tourist" on the decor. So far, I've had the best luck in vintage shops, but does anyone have any other recommended sources? 

READER ADVICE: PHOTO WALL

Last year, this dining space in Royce Pinkwater's home, featured in House Beautiful, captured my imagination. The oversized photos (sadly, unattributed in the article), are fresh and completely unfussy, and I thought the look would be a perfect fit for my pint-sized apartment.

The wall behind my TV/credenza is one of those sticking-spots - you know, a space that doesn't quite work, and seems rather unfixable (I should specify:  unfixable on a tight budget). Faced with a blank wall, I busted out the poster board and tempra paints, swung by the IKEA, and came up with this temporary DIY "art" fix. Many months later, that "temporary" fix is acting rather permanent. Worst of all, the neutral palette in my otherwise colorful apartment just seems dull.

I still have my heart set on that marvelous botanical light-box look Pinkwater used to such great effect. After a LOT of online searching, I came across these prints by photographer Jenny Kraft over at allposters.com. The set is available in the ginormous size I need for about $200.00. Deal!

So, I tried a little (unsophisticated) photo superimposing.... What do you think?

Here's another shot of the room. 

A close up of a few color splashes. 

What do you think? Should I click "order" or keep searching? Love to hear your thoughts!

/Images/ House Beautiful via Splendid Sass/ Green artwork from Allposters.com/ All others, my own/