British Air Force

1) Military: HAF

2) British English: HAF воен.

1) Military: WRAF

2) British English: WRAF воен.

3) Abbreviation: WRAF (UK)

1) Colloquial: Raf (по начальным буквам Royal Air Force)

2) Military: British Air Force, Royal Air Force

British, Briton, Britannic.

Briton, Britisher.

* * *

► adjetivo

1 British

► nombre masculino,nombre femenino

1 British person, Briton, Britisher

* * *

* * *

ADJ British

SM / F British person, Briton, Britisher (EEUU)

* * *

- ca adjetivo British

- ca masculino, femenino British person, Briton

* * *

= British, UK, Brit, Briton.

Ex. From 1972 to 1974, he was attached to the British Library Planning Secretariat.

Ex. This is a contribution to a thematic issue on microcomputers in UK government libraries.

Ex. IFLA-goers joined throngs of Brits to watch the military tattoo as kilted bagpipers and military units from around the world displayed their musical and marching skills.

Ex. As many as 15 million Britons are using credit cards in the struggle to keep up appearances as they mistakenly consider themselves to be middle class.

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* adiestrado por británicos = British-trained.

* Archivo Británico de Documentos Públicos = British Public Record Office.

* Asociación de Archiveros Británicos = Society of Archivists.

* Bibliografía Nacional Británica (BNB) = British National Bibliography (BNB).

* BLAISE (Servicio de Información Automatizada de la Biblioteca Británica) = BLAISE (British Library Automated Information Service).

* BTI (Indice Británico de Tecnología) = BTI (British Technology Index).

* Centro de Distribución de Documentos de la Biblioteca Británica (BLDSC) = British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC).

* ciudadano británico = Briton.

* Columbia Británica = British Columbia.

* Comité de las Universidades Británicas sobre Películas y Vídeos (BUFVC) = British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC).

* Compañía de Telecomunicaciones Británica = British Telecom (BT).

* Consejo Británico (BC) = British Council (BC).

* División de Préstamo de la Biblioteca Británica (BLLD) = British Library Lending Division (BLLD).

* División de Servicios Bibliográficos de la Biblioteca Británica (BLBSD) = British Library Bibliographic Services Division (BLBSD).

* Enciclopedia Británica, la = Encyclopaedia Britannica, the, Britannica, the.

* formado por británicos = British-trained.

* fuerzas aéreas británicas = RAF [Royal Air Force].

* Institución Británica para la Normalización (BSI) = British Standard Institution (BSI).

* Islas Británicas, las = British Isles, the.

* Libros Británicos en Rústica en Venta = Paperbacks in Print.

* Libros Británicos en Venta = British Books in Print.

* Mancomunidad Británica de Naciones, la = Commonwealth, the.

* MARC de la Bibliografía Nacional Británica = BNB MARC.

* Norma Británica 1749: Recomendaciones para la ordenación alfabética y el ord = BS (British Standard) 1749: Recommendations for alphabetical arrangement and the filing order of numerals and symbols.

* Norma Británica número + Número = BS + Número.

* Tesauro Británico de Educación = British Educational Thesaurus (BET).

* * *

- ca adjetivo British

- ca masculino, femenino British person, Briton

* * *

* * *

British

British person, Briton, Britisher ( AmE colloq)

los británicos the British, British people

* * *

◊ -ca adjetivo

* * *

♦ adj

British

♦ nm,f

British person, Briton;

los británicos the British

* * *

I adj British

II m, británica f Briton, Brit fam

* * *

británico, -ca adj

: British

británico, -ca n

1) : British person

los británicos : the British

* * *

británico¹ adj British

británico² n Briton

  15,000-3,000 BCE Paleolithic cultures in western Portugal.

  400-200 BCE Greek and Carthaginian trade settlements on coast.

  202 BCE Roman armies invade ancient Lusitania.

  137 BCE Intensive Romanization of Lusitania begins.

  410 CE Germanic tribes — Suevi and Visigoths—begin conquest of Roman Lusitania and Galicia.

  714—16 Muslims begin conquest of Visigothic Lusitania.

  1034 Christian Reconquest frontier reaches Mondego River.

  1064 Christians conquer Coimbra.

  1139 Burgundian Count Afonso Henriques proclaims himself king of Portugal; birth of Portugal. Battle of Ourique: Afonso Henriques defeats Muslims.

  1147 With English Crusaders' help, Portuguese seize Lisbon from Muslims.

  1179 Papacy formally recognizes Portugal's independence (Pope Alexander III).

  1226 Campaign to reclaim Alentejo from Muslims begins.

  1249 Last Muslim city (Silves) falls to Portuguese Army.

  1381 Beginning of third war between Castile and Portugal.

  1383 Master of Aviz, João, proclaimed regent by Lisbon populace.

  1385 April: Master of Aviz, João I, proclaimed king of Portugal by Cortes of Coimbra. 14 August: Battle of Aljubarrota, Castilians defeated by royal forces, with assistance of English army.

  1394 Birth of "Prince Henry the Navigator," son of King João I.

  1415 Beginning of overseas expansion as Portugal captures Moroccan city of Ceuta.

  1419 Discovery of Madeira Islands.

  1425-28 Prince D. Pedro, older brother of Prince Henry, travels in Europe.

  1427 Discovery (or rediscovery?) of Azores Islands.

  1434 Prince Henry the Navigator's ships pass beyond Cape Bojador, West Africa.

  1437 Disaster at Tangier, Morocco, as Portuguese fail to capture city.

  1441 First African slaves from western Africa reach Portugal.

  1460 Death of Prince Henry. Portuguese reach what is now Senegal, West Africa.

  1470s Portuguese explore West African coast and reach what is now Ghana and Nigeria and begin colonizing islands of São Tomé and Príncipe.

  1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas between kings of Portugal and Spain.

  1482 Portuguese establish post at São Jorge da Mina, Gold Coast (now Ghana).

  1482-83 Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reaches mouth of Congo River and Angola.

  1488 Navigator Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and finds route to Indian Ocean.

  1492-93 Columbus's first voyage to West Indies.

  1493 Columbus visits Azores and Portugal on return from first voyage; tells of discovery of New World. Treaty of Tordesillas signed between kings of Portugal and Spain: delimits spheres of conquest with line 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands (claimed by Portugal); Portugal's sphere to east of line includes, in effect, Brazil.

   King Manuel I and Royal Council decide to continue seeking all-water route around Africa to Asia.

   King Manuel I expels unconverted Jews from Portugal.

  1497-99 Epic voyage of Vasco da Gama from Portugal around Africa to west India, successful completion of sea route to Asia project; da Gama returns to Portugal with samples of Asian spices.

  1500 Bound for India, Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral "discovers" coast of Brazil and claims it for Portugal.

  1506 Anti-Jewish riots in Lisbon.

   Battle of Diu, India; Portugal's command of Indian Ocean assured for some time with Francisco de Almeida's naval victory over Egyptian and Gujerati fleets.

   Afonso de Albuquerque conquers Goa, India; beginning of Portuguese hegemony in south Asia.

   Portuguese conquest of Malacca; commerce in Spice Islands.

  1519 Magellan begins circumnavigation voyage.

  1536 Inquisition begins in Portugal.

  1543 Portuguese merchants reach Japan.

  1557 Portuguese merchants granted Chinese territory of Macau for trading factory.

  1572 Luís de Camões publishes epic poem, Os Lusíadas.

  1578 Battle of Alcácer-Quivir; Moroccan forces defeat army of King Sebastião of Portugal; King Sebastião dies in battle. Portuguese succession crisis.

  1580 King Phillip II of Spain claims and conquers Portugal; Spanish rule of Portugal, 1580-1640.

  1607-24 Dutch conquer sections of Asia and Brazil formerly held by Portugal.

  1640 1 December: Portuguese revolution in Lisbon overthrows Spanish rule, restores independence. Beginning of Portugal's Braganza royal dynasty.

  1654 Following Dutch invasions and conquest of parts of Brazil and Angola, Dutch expelled by force.

  1661 Anglo-Portuguese Alliance treaty signed: England pledges to defend Portugal "as if it were England itself." Queen Catherine of Bra-ganza marries England's Charles II.

  1668 February: In Portuguese-Spanish peace treaty, Spain recognizes independence of Portugal, thus ending 28-year War of Restoration.

  1703 Methuen Treaties signed, key commercial trade agreement and defense treaty between England and Portugal.

  1750 Pombal becomes chief minister of King José I.

  1755 1 November: Massive Lisbon earthquake, tidal wave, and fire.

  1759 Expulsion of Jesuits from Portugal and colonies.

  1761 Slavery abolished in continental Portugal.

  1769 Abandonment of Mazagão, Morocco, last Portuguese outpost.

  1777 Pombal dismissed as chief minister by Queen Maria I, after death of José I.

  1791 Portugal and United States establish full diplomatic relations.

  1807 November: First Napoleonic invasion; French forces under Junot conquer Portugal. Royal family flees to colony of Brazil and remains there until 1821.

  1809 Second French invasion of Portugal under General Soult.

  1811 Third French invasion of Portugal under General Masséna.

  1813 Following British general Wellington's military victories, French forces evacuate Portugal.

  1817 Liberal, constitutional movements against absolutist monarchist rule break out in Brazil (Pernambuco) and Portugal (Lisbon, under General Gomes Freire); crushed by government. British marshal of Portugal's army, Beresford, rules Portugal.

   Liberal insurrection in army officer corps breaks out in Cadiz, Spain, and influences similar movement in Portugal's armed forces first in Oporto.

   King João VI returns from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and early draft of constitution; era of constitutional monarchy begins.

  1822 7 September: João VI's son Pedro proclaims independence of

   Brazil from Portugal and is named emperor. 23 September: Constitution of 1822 ratified.

   Portugal recognizes sovereign independence of Brazil.

   King João VI dies; power struggle for throne ensues between his sons, brothers Pedro and Miguel; Pedro, emperor of Brazil, abdicates Portuguese throne in favor of his daughter, D. Maria II, too young to assume crown. By agreement, Miguel, uncle of D. Maria, is to accept constitution and rule in her stead.

  1828 Miguel takes throne and abolishes constitution. Sections of Portugal rebel against Miguelite rule.

  1831 Emperor Pedro abdicates throne of Brazil and returns to Portugal to expel King Miguel from Portuguese throne.

  1832-34 Civil war between absolutist King Miguel and constitutionalist Pedro, who abandons throne of Brazil to restore his young daughter Maria to throne of Portugal; Miguel's armed forces defeated by those of Pedro. Miguel leaves for exile and constitution (1826 Charter) is restored.

  1834-53 Constitutional monarchy consolidated under rule of Queen Maria II, who dies in 1853.

  1851-71 Regeneration period of economic development and political stability; public works projects sponsored by Minister Fontes Pereira de Melo.

  1871-90 Rotativism period of alternating party governments; achieves political stability and less military intervention in politics and government. Expansion of colonial territory in tropical Africa.

   January: Following territorial dispute in central Africa, Britain delivers "Ultimatum" to Portugal demanding withdrawal of Portugal's forces from what is now Malawi and Zimbabwe. Portugal's government, humiliated in accepting demand under threat of a diplomatic break, falls. Beginning of governmental and political instability; monarchist decline and republicanism's rise.

   Anglo-Portuguese treaties signed relating to delimitation of frontiers in colonial Africa.

  1899 Treaty of Windsor; renewal of Anglo-Portuguese defense and friendship alliance.

  1903 Triumphal visit of King Edward VII to Portugal.

  1906 Politician João Franco supported by King Carlos I in dictatorship to restore order and reform.

  1908 1 February: Murder in Lisbon of King Carlos I and his heir apparent, Prince Dom Luís, by Portuguese anarchists. Eighteen-year-old King Manuel II assumes throne.

  1910 3-5 October: Following republican-led military insurrection in armed forces, monarchy falls and first Portuguese republic is proclaimed. Beginning of unstable, economically troubled, parliamentary republic form of government.

   May: Violent insurrection in Lisbon overturns government of General Pimenta de Castro; nearly a thousand casualties from several days of armed combat in capital.

   March: Following Portugal's honoring ally Britain's request to confiscate German shipping in Portuguese harbors, Germany declares war on Portugal; Portugal enters World War I on Allied side.

   Portugal organizes and dispatches Portuguese Expeditionary Corps to fight on the Western Front. 9 April: Portuguese forces mauled by German offensive in Battle of Lys. Food rationing and riots in Lisbon. Portuguese military operations in Mozambique against German expedition's invasion from German East Africa. 5 December: Authoritarian, presidentialist government under Major Sidónio Pais takes power in Lisbon, following a successful military coup.

  1918 11 November: Armistice brings cessation of hostilities on Western Front in World War I. Portuguese expeditionary forces stationed in Angola, Mozambique, and Flanders begin return trip to Portugal. 14 December: President Sidónio Pais assassinated. Chaotic period of ephemeral civil war ensues.

  1919-21 Excessively unstable political period, including January

  1919 abortive effort of Portuguese monarchists to restore Braganza dynasty to power. Republican forces prevail, but level of public violence, economic distress, and deprivation remains high.

  1921 October: Political violence attains peak with murder of former prime minister and other prominent political figures in Lisbon. Sectors of armed forces and Guarda Nacional Republicana are mutinous. Year of financial and corruption scandals, including Portuguese bank note (fraud) case; military court acquits guilty military insurrectionists, and one military judge declares "the country is sick."

   28 May: Republic overthrown by military coup or pronunciamento and conspiracy among officer corps. Parliament's doors locked and parliament closed for nearly nine years to January 1935. End of parliamentary republic, Western Europe's most unstable political system in this century, beginning of the Portuguese dictatorship, after 1930 known as the Estado Novo. Officer corps assumes reins of government, initiates military censorship of the press, and suppresses opposition.

   February: Military dictatorship under General Óscar Carmona crushes failed republican armed insurrection in Oporto and Lisbon.

   April: Military dictatorship names Professor Antônio de Oliveira Salazar minister of finance, with dictatorial powers over budget, to stabilize finances and rebuild economy. Insurrectionism among military elements continues into 1931.

  1930 Dr. Salazar named minister for colonies and announces balanced budgets. Salazar consolidates support by various means, including creation of official regime "movement," the National Union. Salazar engineers Colonial Act to ensure Lisbon's control of bankrupt African colonies by means of new fiscal controls and centralization of authority. July: Military dictatorship names Salazar prime minister for first time, and cabinet composition undergoes civilianization; academic colleagues and protégés plan conservative reform and rejuvenation of society, polity, and economy. Regime comes to be called the Estado Novo (New State). New State's constitution ratified by new parliament, the National Assembly; Portugal described in document as "unitary, corporative Republic" and governance influenced by Salazar's stern personality and doctrines such as integralism, Catholicism, and fiscal conservatism.

  1936 Violent instability and ensuing civil war in neighboring Spain, soon internationalized by fascist and communist intervention, shake Estado Novo regime. Pseudofascist period of regime features creation of imitation Fascist institutions to defend regime from leftist threats; Portugal institutes "Portuguese Youth" and "Portuguese Legion."

  1939 3 September: Prime Minister Salazar declares Portugal's neutrality in World War II. October: Anglo-Portuguese agreement grants naval and air base facilities to Britain and later to United States for Battle of the Atlantic and Normandy invasion support. Third Reich protests breach of Portugal's neutrality.

   6 June: On day of Allies' Normandy invasion, Portugal suspends mining and export of wolfram ore to both sides in war.

   8 May: Popular celebrations of Allied victory and Fascist defeat in Lisbon and Oporto coincide with Victory in Europe Day. Following managed elections for Estado Novo's National Assembly in November, regime police, renamed PIDE, with increased powers, represses opposition.

  1947 Abortive military coup in central Portugal easily crushed by regime. Independence of India and initiation of Indian protests against Portuguese colonial rule in Goa and other enclaves.

  1949 Portugal becomes founding member of NATO.

  1951 Portugal alters constitution and renames overseas colonies "Overseas Provinces." Portugal and United States sign military base agreements for use of air and naval facilities in Azores Islands and military aid to Lisbon. President Carmona dies in office, succeeded by General Craveiro Lopes (1951-58). July: Indians occupy enclave of Portuguese India (dependency of Damão) by means of passive resistance movement. August: Indian passive resistance movement in Portuguese India repelled by Portuguese forces with loss of life. December: With U.S. backing, Portugal admitted as member of United Nations (along with Spain). Air force general Humberto Delgado, in opposition, challenges Estado Novo's hand-picked successor to Craveiro Lopes, Admiral Américo Tomás. Delgado rallies coalition of democratic, liberal, and communist opposition but loses rigged election and later flees to exile in Brazil. Portugal joins European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

   January and February: Estado Novo rocked by armed African insurrection in northern Angola, crushed by armed forces. Hijacking of Portuguese ocean liner by ally of Delgado, Captain Henrique Galvão. April: Salazar defeats attempted military coup and reshuffles cabinet with group of younger figures who seek to reform colonial rule and strengthen the regime's image abroad. 18 December: Indian army rapidly defeats Portugal's defense force in Goa, Damão, and Diu and incorporates Portugal's Indian possessions into Indian Union. January: Abortive military coup in Beja, Portugal.

  1965 February: General Delgado and his Brazilian secretary murdered and secretly buried near Spanish frontier by political police, PIDE.

  1968 August and September: Prime Minister Salazar, aged 79, suffers crippling stoke. President Tomás names former cabinet officer Marcello Caetano as Salazar's successor. Caetano institutes modest reforms in Portugal and overseas.

  1971 Caetano government ratifies amended constitution that allows slight devolution and autonomy to overseas provinces in Africa and Asia. Right-wing loyalists oppose reforms in Portugal. 25 April: Military coup engineered by Armed Forces Movement overthrows Estado Novo and establishes provisional government emphasizing democratization, development, and decolonization. Limited resistance by loyalists. President Tomás and Premier Caetano flown to exile first in Madeira and then in Brazil. General Spínola appointed president. September: Revolution moves to left, as President Spínola, thwarted in his program, resigns.

   March: Military coup by conservative forces fails, and leftist response includes nationalization of major portion of economy. Polarization between forces and parties of left and right. 25 November: Military coup by moderate military elements thwarts leftist forces. Constituent Assembly prepares constitution. Revolution moves from left to center and then right.

   March: Constitution ratified by Assembly of the Republic. 25 April: Second general legislative election gives largest share of seats to Socialist Party (PS). Former oppositionist lawyer, Mário Soares, elected deputy and named prime minister.

  1977-85 Political pendulum of democratic Portugal moves from center-left to center-right, as Social Democratic Party (PSD) increases hold on assembly and take office under Prime Minister Cavaco Silva. July

  1985 elections give edge to PSD who advocate strong free-enterprise measures and revision of leftist-generated 1976 Constitution, amended modestly in 1982.

  1986 January: Portugal joins European Economic Community (EEC).

  1987 July: General, legislative elections for assembly give more than 50 percent to PSD led by Prime Minister Cavaco Silva. For first time, since 1974, Portugal has a working majority government.

  1989 June: Following revisions of 1976 Constitution, reprivatization of economy begins, under PS government.

   January: Presidential elections, Mário Soares reelected for second term. July: General, legislative elections for assembly result in new PSD victory and majority government.

   January-July: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC). December: Tariff barriers fall as fully integrated Common Market established in the EEC.

   November: Treaty of Maastricht comes into force. The EEC officially becomes the European Union (EU). Portugal is signatory with 11 other member-nations.

   October: General, legislative elections for assembly result in PS victory and naming of Prime Minister Guterres. PS replace PSD as leading political party. November: Excavations for Lisbon bank uncover ancient Phoenician, Roman, and Christian ruins.

   January: General, presidential elections; socialist Jorge Sampaio defeats PSD's Cavaco Silva and assumes presidency from Dr. Mário Soares. July: Community of Portuguese Languages Countries (CPLP) cofounded by Portugal and Brazil.

   May-September: Expo '98 held in Lisbon. Opening of Vasco da Gama Bridge across Tagus River, Europe's longest (17 kilometers/ 11 miles). June: National referendum on abortion law change defeated after low voter turnout. November: National referendum on regionaliza-tion and devolution of power defeated after another low voter turnout.

   October: General, legislative elections: PS victory over PSD lacks clear majority in parliament. Following East Timor referendum, which votes for independence and withdrawal of Indonesia, outburst of popular outrage in streets, media, and communications of Portugal approves armed intervention and administration of United Nations (and withdrawal of Indonesia) in East Timor. Portugal and Indonesia restore diplomatic relations. December: A Special Territory since 1975, Colony of Macau transferred to sovereignty of People's Republic of China.

   January-June: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the EU; end of Discoveries Historical Commemoration Cycle (1988-2000).

   United Nations forces continue to occupy and administer former colony of East Timor, with Portugal's approval.

   January: General, presidential elections; PS president Sampaio reelected for second term. City of Oporto, "European City of Culture" for the year, hosts arts festival. December: Municipal elections: PSD defeats PS; socialist prime minister Guterres resigns; President Sampaio calls March parliamentary elections.

   1 January: Portugal enters single European Currency system. Euro currency adopted and ceases use of former national currency, the escudo. March: Parliamentary elections; PSD defeats PS and José Durão Barroso becomes prime minister. Military modernization law passed. Portugal holds chairmanship of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

   May: Municipal law passed permitting municipalities to reorganize in new ways.

   June: Prime Minister Durão Barroso, invited to succeed Romano Prodi as president of EU Commission, resigns. Pedro Santana Lopes becomes prime minister. European Parliament elections held. Conscription for national service in army and navy ended. Mass grave uncovered at Academy of Sciences Museum, Lisbon, revealing remains of several thousand victims of Lisbon earthquake, 1755.

   February: Parliamentary elections; PS defeats PSD, socialists win first absolute majority in parliament since 1975. José Sócrates becomes prime minister.

   January: Presidential elections; PSD candidate Aníbal Cavaco Silva elected and assumes presidency from Jorge Sampaio. Portugal's national soccer team ranked 7th out of 205 countries by international soccer association. European Union's Bologna Process in educational reform initiated in Portugal.

   July-December: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the European Union. For reasons of economy, Portugal announces closure of many consulates, especially in France and the eastern US. Government begins official inspections of private institutions of higher education, following scandals.

  2008 January: Prime Minister Sócrates announces location of new Lisbon area airport as Alcochete, on south bank of Tagus River, site of air force shooting range. February: Portuguese Army begins to receive new modern battle tanks (Leopard 2 A6). March: Mass protest of 85,000 public school (primary and secondary levels) teachers in Lisbon schools dispute recent educational policies of minister of education and prime minister.

En anglais comme en français, l’armée de terre et l’armée de l’air distinguent deux catégories: les officiers, commissioned officers (GB) ou warrant officers (US), à partir du grade de Second Lieutenant/Pilot Officer, et tous les autres, à l’exception de Private/Aircraftman/ Airman, non-commissioned officers (the NCOs):

L’armée de terre

the British Army the United States Army

Field Marshal (FM)* General of the Army (GEN)

General (Gen) General (GEN)

Lieutenant†-General (Lt-Gen) Lieutenant† General (LTG)

Major-General (Maj-Gen) Major General (MG)

Brigadier (Brig) Brigadier General (BG)

Colonel (Col) Colonel (COL)

Lieutenant†-Colonel (Lt-Col) Lieutenant† Colonel (LTC)

Major (Maj) Major (MAJ)

Captain (Capt) Captain (CAPT)

Lieutenant† (Lieut) First Lieutenant† (1LT)

Second Lieutenant† (2nd Lt) Second Lieutenant† (2Lt)

- Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)

- Warrant Officer (WO)

Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Command Sergeant Major (CSM)

Company Sergeant Major (CSM) Staff Sergeant Major (SSM)

- 1st Sergeant (1 SG)

- Master Sergeant (MSG)

- Sergeant 1st Class (SFC)

Staff Sergeant‡ (S/Sgt) Staff Sergeant (SSG)

ou Colour Sergeant‡ (C/Sgt)‡

Sergeant (Sgt) Sergeant (SGT)

Corporal (Cpl) Corporal (CPL)

Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Private First Class (P1C)

Private (Pte) Private (PVT)

ou Rifleman (Rfm)

ou Guardsman (Gdm)‡

the Royal Navy (RN)§ the United States Navy (USN)§

Admiral of the Fleet Fleet Admiral

Admiral (Adm)* Admiral (ADM)

Vice-Admiral (V-Adm) Vice Admiral (VADM)

Rear-Admiral (Rear-Adm) Rear Admiral (RADM)

Commodore (Cdre) Commodore (CDRE)

Captain (Capt) Captain (CAPT)

Commander (Cdr) Commander (CDR)

Lieutenant†-Commander (Lt-Cdr) Lieutenant† Commander (LCDR)

Lieutenant† (Lt) Lieutenant† (LT)

Sub-Lieutenant† (Sub-Lt) Lieutenant† Junior Grade (LTJG)

Acting Sub- Lieutenant† (Act Sub-Lt) Ensign (ENS)

- Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)

Midshipman Midshipman

Fleet Chief Petty Officer (FCPO) -

- Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)

- Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)

Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

- Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1)

- Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2)

Petty Officer (PO) Petty Officer 3rd Class (PO3)

Leading Seaman (LS) Seaman (SN)

Able Seaman (AB) -

Ordinary Seaman (OD) -

Junior Seaman (JS) Seaman Apprentice (SA), Seaman Recruit (SR)

the Royal Air Force (RAF) the United States Air Force (USAF)||

Marshal of the Royal Air Force General of the Air Force

Air Chief Marshal (ACM)* General (GEN)

Air Marshal (AM) Lieutenant† General (LTG)

Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Major General (MG)

Air Commodore (Air Cdre) Brigadier General (BG)

Group Captain (Gp Capt) Colonel (COL)

Wing Commander (Wing Cdr) Lieutenant† Colonel (LTC)

Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Major (MAJ)

Flight Lieutenant† (Flt Lt) Captain (CAPT)

Flying Officer (FO) First Lieutenant† (1LT)

Pilot Officer (PO) Second Lieutenant† (2LT)

Warrant Officer (WO) -

Flight Sergeant (FS) Chief Master Sergeant (CMSGT)

- Senior Master Sergeant (SMSGT)

- Master Sergeant (MSGT)

Chief Technician (Chf Tech) Technical Sergeant (TSGT)

Sergeant (Sgt) Staff Sergeant (SSGT)

Corporal (Cpl) Sergeant (SGT)

Junior Technician (Jnr Tech) -

Senior Aircraftman ou woman (SAC) -

Leading Aircraftman ou woman (LAC) Airman First Class (A1C) ou Airwoman First Class

Aircraftman ou Aircraftwoman Airman Basic (AB)

L’anglais emploie l’article indéfini pour les noms de grades utilisés avec les verbes to be ( être), to become ( devenir), to make ( faire) etc.

Dans les expressions suivantes, colonel est pris comme exemple; les autres noms de grades s’utilisent de la même façon.

= he is a colonel

= he is a colonel in the army

= to become a colonel

= he was made a colonel

Mais avec le verbe to promote ou dans l’expression the rank of…, l’anglais n’emploie pas l’article indéfini:

= to be promoted colonel ou to be promoted to colonel

= he has the rank of colonel

= Colonel Jones has arrived

= the colonel has arrived

Noter que le mot Colonel prend une majuscule en anglais devant le nom propre, mais rarement dans les autres cas.

= yes, sir

= yes, ma’am

= yes, sergeant

Les abréviations sont utilisées uniquement par écrit et avec les noms propres, par ex.: Capt. Jones.

† Noter la prononciation (GB): [leftenant], (US): [lootenant].

‡ Le nom varie selon le régiment.

§ Les abréviations RN et USN ne sont utilisées que par écrit.

|| L’abréviation USAF n’est utilisée que par écrit. Dire the US Air Force.

SUBJECT AREA: Weapons and armour

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Educated at Westminster College, in 1904 Tizard went to Magdalen College, Oxford, gaining Firsts in mathematics and chemistry. After a period of time in Berlin with Nernst, he joined the Royal Institution in 1909 to study the colour changes of indicators. From 1911 until 1914 he was a tutorial Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, but with the outbreak of the First World War he joined first the Royal Garrison Artillery, then, in 1915, the newly formed Royal Flying Corps, to work on the development of bomb-sights. Successively in charge of testing aircraft, a lieutenant-colonel in the Ministry of Munitions and Assistant Controller of Research and Experiments for the Royal Air Force, he returned to Oxford in 1919 and the following year became Reader in Chemical Thermodynamics; at this stage he developed the use of toluene as an air-craft-fuel additive.

In 1922 he was appointed an assistant secretary at the government Department of Industrial and Scientific Research, becoming Principal Assistant Secretary in 1922 and its Permanent Director in 1927; during this time he was also a member of the Aeronautical Research Committee, being Chairman of the latter in 1933–43. From 1929 to 1942 he was Rector of Imperial College. In 1932 he was also appointed Chairman of a committee set up to investigate possible national air-defence systems, and it was largely due to his efforts that the radar proposals of Watson-Watt were taken up and an effective system made operational before the outbreak of the Second World War. He was also involved in various other government activities aimed at applying technology to the war effort, including the dam-buster and atomic bombs.

President of Magdalen College in 1942–7, he then returned again to Whitehall, serving as Chairman of the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy and of the Defence Research Policy Committee. Finally, in 1952, he became Pro-Chan-cellor of Southampton University.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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Son of a successful mining engineer, Sopwith did not shine at school and, having been turned down by the Royal Navy as a result, attended an engineering college. His first interest was motor cars and, while still in his teens, he set up a business in London with a friend in order to sell them; he also took part in races and rallies.

Sopwith's interest in aviation came initially through ballooning, and in 1906 he purchased his own balloon. Four years later, inspired by the recent flights across the Channel to France and after a joy-ride at Brooklands, he bought an Avis monoplane, followed by a larger biplane, and taught himself to fly. He was awarded the Royal Aero Society's Aviator Certificate No. 31 on 21 November 1910, and he quickly distinguished himself in flying competitions on both sides of the Atlantic and started his own flying school. In his races he was ably supported by his friend Fred Sigrist, a former motor engineer. Among the people Sopwith taught to fly were an Australian, Harry Hawker, and Major Hugh Trenchard, who later became the "father" of the RAF.

In 1912, depressed by the poor quality of the aircraft on trial for the British Army, Sopwith, in conjunction with Hawker and Sigrist, bought a skating rink in Kingston-upon-Thames and, assisted by Fred Sigrist, started to design and build his first aircraft, the Sopwith Hybrid. He sold this to the Royal Navy in 1913, and the following year his aviation manufacturing company became the Sopwith Aviation Company Ltd. That year a seaplane version of his Sopwith Tabloid won the Schneider Trophy in the second running of this speed competition. During 1914–18, Sopwith concentrated on producing fighters (or "scouts" as they were then called), with the Pup, the Camel, the 1½ Strutter, the Snipe and the Sopwith Triplane proving among the best in the war. He also pioneered several ideas to make flying easier for the pilot, and in 1915 he patented his adjustable tailplane and his 1 ½ Strutter was the first aircraft to be fitted with air brakes. During the four years of the First World War, Sopwith Aviation designed thirty-two different aircraft types and produced over 16,000 aircraft.

The end of the First World War brought recession to the aircraft industry and in 1920 Sopwith, like many others, put his company into receivership; none the less, he immediately launched a new, smaller company with Hawker, Sigrist and V.W.Eyre, which they called the H.G. Hawker Engineering Company Ltd to avoid any confusion with the former company. He began by producing cars and motor cycles under licence, but was determined to resume aircraft production. He suffered an early blow with the death of Hawker in an air crash in 1921, but soon began supplying aircraft to the Royal Air Force again. In this he was much helped by taking on a new designer, Sydney Camm, in 1923, and during the next decade they produced a number of military aircraft types, of which the Hart light bomber and the Fury fighter, the first to exceed 200 mph (322 km/h), were the best known. In the mid-1930s Sopwith began to build a large aviation empire, acquiring first the Gloster Aircraft Company and then, in quick succession, Armstrong-Whitworth, Armstrong-Siddeley Motors Ltd and its aero-engine counterpart, and A.V.Roe, which produced Avro aircraft. Under the umbrella of the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Company (set up in 1935) these companies produced a series of outstanding aircraft, ranging from the Hawker Hurricane, through the Avro Lancaster to the Gloster Meteor, Britain's first in-service jet aircraft, and the Hawker Typhoon, Tempest and Hunter. When Sopwith retired as Chairman of the Hawker Siddeley Group in 1963 at the age of 75, a prototype jump-jet (the P-1127) was being tested, later to become the Harrier, a for cry from the fragile biplanes of 1910.

Sopwith also had a passion for yachting and came close to wresting the America's Cup from the USA in 1934 when sailing his yacht Endeavour, which incorporated a number of features years ahead of their time; his greatest regret was that he failed in his attempts to win this famous yachting trophy for Britain. After his retirement as Chairman of the Hawker Siddeley Group, he remained on the Board until 1978. The British aviation industry had been nationalized in April 1977, and Hawker Siddeley's aircraft interests merged with the British Aircraft Corporation to become British Aerospace (BAe). Nevertheless, by then the Group had built up a wide range of companies in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering, and its board conferred on Sopwith the title Founder and Life President.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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Alan Cobham was a man of many parts. He started as a veterinary assistant in France during the First World War, but transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. After the war he continued flying, by giving joy-rides and doing aerial photography work. In 1921 he joined the De Havilland Aircraft Company (see de Havilland, Geoffrey) as a test and charter pilot; he was also successful in a number of air races. During the 1920s Cobham made many notable flights to distant parts of the British Empire, pioneering possible routes for airline operations. During the early 1930s Sir Alan (he was knighted in 1926) devoted his attention to generating a public interest in aviation and to campaigning for more airfields. Cobham's Flying Circus toured the country giving flying displays and joy-rides, which for thousands of people was their first experience of flying.

In 1933 Cobham planned a non-stop flight to India by refuelling his aircraft while flying: this was not a new idea but the process was still experimental. The flight was unsuccessful due to a fault in his aircraft, unrelated to the in-flight refuelling system. The following year Flight Refuelling Ltd was founded, and by 1939 two Short flying boats were operating the first inflight-refuelled service across the Atlantic. Inflight refuelling was not required during the early years of the Second World War, so Cobham turned to other projects such as thermal de-icing of wings, and a scheme which was not carried out, for delivering fighters to the Middle East by towing them behind Wellington bombers.

After the Second World War the fortunes of Flight Refuelling Ltd were at a low ebb, especially when British South American Airways abandoned the idea of using in-flight refuelling. Then an American contract and the use of their tanker aircraft to ferry oil during the Berlin Airlift saved the day. In 1949 Cobham's chief designer, Peter Macgregor, came up with an idea for refuelling fighters using a probe and drogue system. A large tanker aircraft trailed a hose with a conical drogue at the free end. The fighter pilot manoeuvred the probe, fitted to his aircraft, so that it locked into the drogue, enabling fuel to be transferred. Since the 1950s this system has become the effective world standard.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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Geoffrey de Havilland started experimenting with aircraft and engines of his own design in 1908. In the following year, with the help of his friend Frank Hearle, he built and flew his first aircraft; it crashed on its first flight. The second aircraft used the same engine and made its first flight on 10 September 1910, and enabled de Havilland to teach himself to fly. From 1910 to 1914 he was employed at Farnborough, where in 1912 the Royal Aircraft Factory was established. As Chief Designer and Chief Test Pilot he was responsible for the BE 2, which was the first British military aircraft to land in France in 1914.

In May 1914 de Havilland went to work for George Holt Thomas, whose Aircraft Manufacturing Company Ltd (Airco) of Hendon was expanding to design and build aircraft of its own design. However, because de Havilland was a member of the Royal Flying Corps Reserve, he had to report for duty when war broke out in August. His value as a designer was recognized and he was transferred back to Airco, where he designed eight aircraft in four years. Of these, the DH 2, DH 4, DH 5, DH 6 and DH 9 were produced in large numbers, and a modified DH 4A operated the first British cross- Channel air service in 1919.

On 25 September 1920 de Havilland founded his own company, the De Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd, at Stag Lane near Edgware, London. During the 1920s and 1930s de Havilland concentrated on civil aircraft and produced the very successful Moth series of small biplanes and monoplanes, as well as the Dragon, Dragon Rapide, Albatross and Flamingo airliners. In 1930 a new site was acquired at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, and by 1934 a modern factory with a large airfield had been established. His Comet racer won the England-Australia air race in 1934 using de Havilland engines. By this time the company had established very successful engine and propeller divisions. The Comet used a wooden stressed-skin construction which de Havilland developed and used for one of the outstanding aircraft of the Second World War: the Mosquito. The de Havilland Engine Company started work on jet engines in 1941 and their Goblin engine powered the Vampire jet fighter first flown by Geoffrey de Havilland Jr in 1943. Unfortunately, Geoffrey Jr and his brother John were both killed in flying accidents. The Comet jet airliner first flew in 1949 and the Trident in 1962, although by 1959 the De Havilland Company had been absorbed into Hawker Siddeley Aviation.

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SUBJECT AREA: Paper and printing

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Details of Biro's early life are obscure, but by 1939 he had been active as a painter, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and an inventor, patenting over thirty minor inventions. During the 1930s he edited a cultural magazine and noticed in the printing shop the advantages of quick-drying ink. He began experimenting with crude ballpoint pens. The idea was not new, for an American, John Loud, had patented a cumbersome form of pen for marking rough surfaces in 1888; it had failed commercially. Biro and his brother Georg patented a ballpoint pen in 1938, although they had not yet perfected a suitable ink or a reservoir to hold it.

In 1940 Biro fled the Nazi occupation of Hungary and settled in Argentina. Two years later, he had developed his pen to the point where he could seek backers for a company to exploit it commercially. His principal backer appears to have been an English accountant, Henry George Martin. In 1944 Martin offered the invention to the US Army Air Force and the British Royal Air Force to overcome the problems aircrews were experiencing at high altitudes with leaking fountain pens. Some 10,000 ballpoints were made for the RAF. Licences were granted in the USA for the manufacture of the "biro", and in 1944 the Miles-Martin Pen Company was formed in Britain and began making them on a large scale at a factory near Reading, Berkshire; by 1951 its workforce had grown to over 1,000. Other companies followed suit; by varying details of the pen, they avoided infringing the original patents. One such entrepreneur, Miles Reynolds, was the first to put the pen on sale to the public in New York; it is reputed that 10,000 were sold on the first day.

Biro had little taste for commercial exploitation, and by 1947 he had withdrawn from the Argentine company, mainly to resume his painting, in the surrealist style. Examples of his work are exhibited in the Fine Arts Museum in Budapest. He created an instrument that had a greater impact on written communication than any other single invention.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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Mikoyan graduated from the Zhukovsky Military Aircraft Academy in 1936. His first major design project was in response to an official requirement, issued in December 1940, for a single-engined fighter with performance equating to those then in service with the British, French and German air forces. In conjunction with M.L. Gurevich, a mathematician, and in a bare four months, he produced a flying prototype, with a top speed of 401 mph (645 km/h), that entered service as the MiG-1 in 1941. The Mikoyan and Gurevich MiG-3 and MiG-5 followed, and they then designed the MiG-7 high-altitude fighter; however, the latter never came into service on account of the decline of the German air force.

The Second World War MiG fighters were characterized by high speed, good protection and armament, but they had poor manoeuvrability. In 1945, however, Mikoyan began to study Western developments in jet-powered aircraft. The result was a series of jet fighters, beginning with the MiG-9A, through the MiG-11, to the MiG-15 that gave the Allied air forces such a shock when it first appeared during the Korean War. The last in the series in which Mikoyan himself was involved was the MiG-23, which entered service in 1967. The MiG series lived on after both his and Gurevich's (1976) deaths, with one of the latest models being the MiG-31.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace, Telecommunications

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Whilst still at Huish's Grammar School, Taunton, Clarke became interested in both space science and science fiction. Unable to afford a scientific education at the time (he later obtained a BSc at King's College, London), he pursued both interests in his spare time while working in the Government Exchequer and Audit Department between 1936 and 1941. He was a founder member of the British Interplanetary Society, subsequently serving as its Chairman in 1946–7 and 1950–3. From 1941 to 1945 he served in the Royal Air Force, becoming a technical officer in the first GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) radar unit. There he began to produce the first of many science-fiction stories. In 1949–50 he was an assistant editor of Science Abstracts at the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

As a result of his two interests, he realized during the Second World War that an artificial earth satellite in an equatorial orbital with a radius of 35,000 km (22,000 miles) would appear to be stationary, and that three such geo-stationary, or synchronous, satellites could be used for worldwide broadcast or communications. He described these ideas in a paper published in Wireless World in 1945. Initially there was little response, but within a few years the idea was taken up by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and in 1965 the first synchronous satellite, Early Bird, was launched into orbit.

In the 1950s he moved to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to pursue an interest in underwater exploration, but he continued to write science fiction, being known in particular for his contribution to the making of the classic Stanley Kubrick science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey, based on his book of the same title.

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m ministry

( gabinetto) government, ministry

pubblico ministero state prosecutor

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ministero s.m.

1 (ufficio, funzione) office, function; (eccl.) ministry: un alto ministero, a high office; svolgere un ministero di pace, to carry out a mission of peace // il sacro ministero, the (sacred) ministry

2 (ministero, dipartimento amministrativo dello Stato) Ministry, Office, Board; (negli Stati Uniti) Department // ministero dell'aeronautica, (GB) Air Ministry, (USA) Department of the Air Force // ministero degli (affari) esteri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (GB) Foreign Office, (USA) Department of State // ministero degli (affari) interni, Ministry of the Interior, (GB) Home Office, (USA) Department of the Interior // ministero per gli affari sociali, (in Italia) Ministry for Social Affairs // ministero dell'agricoltura e foreste, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, (GB) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, (USA) Department of Agriculture // ministero dell'ambiente, Ministry of the Environment, (GB) Department of the Environment // ministero per le aree urbane, (in Italia) Ministry for Urban Development and Rehabilitation // ministero dei beni culturali, (in Italia) Ministry for Arts and Culture // ministero del bilancio, Ministry of the Budget, (GB) the Treasury, (USA) Office of Management and Budget // ministero del commercio con l'estero, Ministry of Foreign Trade, (GB) Overseas Trade Ministry, (USA) US International Trade Commission // ministero della difesa, Ministry of Defence, (USA) Department of Defense // ministero delle finanze, Ministry of Finance, (GB) Exchequer (o Ministry of Finance), (USA) Department of the Treasury // ministero della funzione pubblica, (in Italia) Ministry for the Civil Service // ministero di grazia e giustizia, Ministry of Justice, (USA) Department of Justice // ministero della guerra, Ministry of War, (GB) War Office, (USA) Department of War // ministero dell'industria, commercio e artigianato, Ministry of Industry and Trade, (GB) Department of Trade and Industry, (USA) Department of Commerce // ministero del lavoro e della previdenza sociale, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, (GB) Department of Employment, (USA) Department of Labor // ministero dei lavori pubblici, (in Italia) Ministry of Public Works // ministero della Marina, Ministry of the Navy, (GB) Admiralty, (USA) Department of the Navy // ministero della marina mercantile, Ministry of the Merchant Marine, (GB) Marine Division of the Department of Trade, (USA) Maritime Administration of the Department of Commerce // ministero delle partecipazioni statali, Ministry of State Investment, (GB) National Enterprise Board // ministero per le politiche comunitarie, (nei paesi della CEE) Ministry for EEC Policy // ministero delle poste e telecomunicazioni, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, (GB) Post Office Board, (USA) Post Office Department // ministero della protezione civile, Ministry for Civil Defence, (USA) (a livello nazionale, ma non in qualità di ministero) Federal Emergency Board // ministero della pubblica istruzione, Ministry of Education, (GB) Department of Education and Science, (USA) Department of Health, Education and Welfare // ministero per i rapporti col parlamento, (in Italia) Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs // ministero della ricerca scientifica e tecnologica, (in Italia) Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology // ministero della sanità, della salute, Ministry of Health, (GB) Department of Health, (USA) Department of Health, Education and Welfare // ministero del tesoro, Ministry of the Treasury, (GB) the Treasury, (USA) Department of the Treasury // ministero dei trasporti e dell'aviazione civile, Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, (GB) Department of Transport and Civil Aviation Authority, (USA) Department of Transportation // ministero del turismo e dello spettacolo, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, (GB) British Tourist Authority, (USA) United States Travel Service (of the Department of Commerce)

3 (Consiglio dei Ministri, governo) government, ministry; (Gabinetto) Cabinet: ministero radicale, radical government; fece parte del ministero Crispi, he served in Crispi's ministry; formare un ministero, to form a government (o a ministry o a Cabinet)

4 (dir.) pubblico ministero, Public Prosecutor; (amer.) Prosecuting Attorney; District Attorney: la difesa e il pubblico ministero, the Defence and the Prosecution.

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sostantivo maschile

1) pol. (governo) ministry, government

2) pol. (dicastero, edificio) ministry; (in GB) Office, Department; (negli USA) Department

3) dir.

4) relig.

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ministero

/minis'tεro/

sostantivo m.

 1 pol. (governo) ministry, government

 2 pol. (dicastero, edificio) ministry; (in GB) Office, Department; (negli USA) Department

 3 dir. pubblico ministero public prosecutor BE, prosecuting attorney AE

 4 relig. ministero sacerdotale ministry

COMPOUNDS

ministero dell'ambiente (in GB) Department o Ministry of the Environment; ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali = ministry of cultural heritage and environmental conservation; ministero della difesa (in GB) Ministry of Defence; (negli USA) Department of Defense; ministero degli (affari) esteri = foreign ministry, ministry of foreign affairs; ministero delle finanze = finance ministry; ministero di grazia e giustizia = ministry of Justice; (negli USA) Justice Department; ministero dell'interno (in GB) Home Office; (negli USA) Department of the Interior; ministero del lavoro = ministry of Employment; (negli USA) Labor Department; ministero delle poste e telecomunicazioni = postal and telecommunications ministry; ministero della pubblica istruzione = ministry of education; ministero della sanità (in GB) Department of Health; (negli USA) Department of Health and Human Services; ministero del tesoro (in GB) Treasury; (negli USA) Treasury Department; ministero dei trasporti (in GB) Ministry of Transport; (negli USA) Department of Transportation; ministero dell'università e della ricerca scientifica e tecnologica = ministry of university and of scientific and technological research.

SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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At the age of 17, Cierva and some of his friends built a successful two-seater biplane, the BCD-1 (C for Cierva). By 1919 he had designed a large three-engined biplane bomber, the C 3, which unfortunately crashed when its wing stalled (list its lift) during a slow-speed turn. Cierva turned all his energies to designing a flying machine which could not stall: his answer was the autogiro. Although an autogiro looks like a helicopter, its rotor blades are not driven by an engine, but free-wheel like a windmill. Forward speed is provided by a conventional engine and propeller, and even if this engine fails, the autogiro's rotors continue to free-wheel and it descends safely. Cierva patented his autogiro design in 1920, but it took him three years to put theory into practice. By 1925, after further improvements, he had produced a practical rotary-winged flying machine.

He moved to England and in 1926 established the Cierva Autogiro Company Ltd. The Air Ministry showed great interest and a year later the British company Avro was commissioned to manufacture the C 6A Autogiro under licence. Probably the most significant of Cierva's autogiros was the C 30A, or Avro Rota, which served in the Royal Air Force from 1935 until 1945. Several other manufacturers in France, Germany, Japan and the USA built Cierva autogiros under licence, but only in small numbers and they never really rivalled fixed-wing aircraft. The death of Cierva in an airliner crash in 1936, together with the emergence of successful helicopters, all but extinguished interest in the autogiro.

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SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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Frank Whittle enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an apprentice, and after qualifying as a pilot he developed an interest in the technical aspects of aircraft propulsion. He was convinced that the gas-turbine engine could be adapted for use in aircraft, but he could not convince the Air Ministry, who turned down the proposal. Nevertheless, Whittle applied for a patent for his turbojet engine the following year, 1930. While still in the RAF, he was allowed time to study for a degree at Cambridge University and carry out postgraduate research (1934–7). By 1936 the official attitude had changed, and a company called Power Jets Ltd was set up to develop Whittle's jet engine. On 12 April 1937 the experimental engine was bench-tested. After further development, an official order was placed in March 1938. Whittle's engine had a centrifugal compressor, ten combustion chambers and a turbine to drive the compressor; all the power output came from the jet of hot gases.

In 1939 an experimental aircraft was ordered from the Gloster Aircraft Company, the E 28/39, to house the Whittle W1 engine, and this made its first flight on 15 May 1941. A development of the W1 by Rolls-Royce, the Welland, was used to power the twin-engined Gloster Meteor fighter, which saw service with the RAF in 1944. Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 and became a consultant. From 1977 he lived in the United States. Comparisons between the work of Whittle and Hans von Ohain show that each of the two engineers developed his engine without knowledge of the other's work. Whittle was the first to take out a patent, Ohain achieved the first flight; the Whittle engine and its derivatives, however, played a much greater role in the history of the jet engine.

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m; -s, -

1. MIL. sergeant

2. umg. fig. pej. sergeant major

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sergeant

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1. m -s, -, Feld|we|be|lin

2. f -, -nen

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1) ((of) a type of strong, usually woollen, cloth: brown serge tunics.) serge

2) (in the British army or air force, the rank above corporal: Sergeant Brown.) sergeant

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m(f) sergeant major

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Feldwebel m; -s, -

1. MIL sergeant

2. umg fig pej sergeant major

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sergeant n.