#sonny the well tank engine

[ikoarts]

(06/04/24)

The Sonny Bunny!

Drawn as I was procrastinating on........ somethin else... hehe !

then I procrastinated on this and it also wasn't getting done BUT IT IS NOW!! HURRAH!! now everyone can look at him

sonny fandom please make yourselves known its very lonely here

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #digital art #fanart #TTTE #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #sonny the well tank engine #ttte sonny

[tornadoyoungiron]

Traintober | Day 4 - Devious

Green Arrow finds that Diesel likes having him around to listen to him, especially since he's mute and can't divulge his secrets. But what will happen when Arrow regains his voice? Takes place during Young Iron - Green with Envy, when Green Arrow has his voicebox stolen.

~~~

“Why hello there new engine!” 

Green Arrow nervously looked around to find a black Class 08 leering at him. Said Class 08 was completely black, unlike the usual members of his class who had yellow hazard stripes. He frowned and narrowed his eyes in response.

“No need for that look, I’m just trying to be friendly!” The Diesel grinned but Green Arrow didn’t believe him. 

The V2 was aware of this certain Class 08’s reputation in the Railway Series books and stared at him in disbelief.

“Oh right, you’re mute,” the Diesel suddenly realised and Arrow began scowling at him. “Apologises, apologies I meant no offence.”

Green Arrow simply hissed steam and hurried off in a cloud of steam, his displeasure evident.

Not dissuaded, the Class 08 quickly sped after him.

“Ah I’ve upset you,” Diesel quickly lamented. “A deep shame, I was insensitive, allow me to introduce myself, I am Diesel.”

Green Arrow snorted and rolled his eyes in response. To his surprise the Class 08 was not offended.

“I like being called just Diesel, it’s better than just having a number,” Diesel proudly exclaimed but Green Arrow looked doubtful. “We all can’t be named after companies like you are friend.”

Arrow decided to ignore the Class 08 as he made his way to his next job yet still Diesel insisted on following him. 

“I’ve seen how the others treat you and I think it’s terrible, just terrible,” The Class 08 lamented. “A fine standing engine such as yourself being subjected to such discrimination.”

More than anything Green Arrow wanted to tell the Diesel to back off but his lack of voice made that hard. He was however able to wheeshed steam in the Diesel’s face and sped up down the line.

The Diesel shouted at him but he did not hear him as he put as much distance between the both of them.

~~~

Over the next few months, the diesel continuously approached him whenever he saw him. Green Arrow didn’t really understand but Diesel seemed to find some sort of comfort in just talking to him while he rolled around or moved to jobs. He seemed to look forward to or even crave having someone to complain to.

Maybe he wanted company, maybe he was genuinely trying to be a friend but Green Arrow didn’t have the ability to tell him to go away for the longest time.

On the plus side, Diesel gave him an insight into how the other engines interacted. How Diesel often spied James and Edward behind the sheds when they both had spare time. How Gordon liked to sneak out to the Docks to talk to the massive cruise ships that came by. Or how Henry liked to spend time with Peter Sam whenever he was near Sodor's Narrow Gauge Railway.

He was learning a lot from the Diesel and he didn’t have to prompt or try to provoke a single word out of him. 

Maybe that was why he continued to be mute around the Diesel, even when his voice box had been returned to him. 

He didn’t want to spoil Diesel’s little exercises in talking to him, knowing that he found solace in the silent steam engine. 

“Hello, Mr Arrow!” Came the voice of the small navy blue tank engine sat near cranky on the Docks. “It’s good to see you!”

He liked the Well Tank Engine. He wasn’t like any of the other engines on the island who held a grudge against him and seemed always happy to see Arrow. It was a nice reprieve when it felt like the entire island, bar Edward, was against him.

“I’ve forgotten your name sorry,” Green Arrow apologised to the little engine.

“That’s a’rite guv! Name’s Sonny!” The Tank engine grinned, not even offended by his forgetfulness. 

“Sonny! Right! Hello to you too!” Green Arrow grinned back.

Sonny’s attention was caught by something behind him.

“Ay-O how goes it Diesel?!” Sonny greeted his friend but the Diesel didn’t answer.

Green Arrow could feel the glare of the Class 08 searing into his boiler as he came up beside him. The Diesel stopped, gave an annoyed ‘humph’ and sped off leaving a very confused Sonny.

“What was that about ay?” The Well Tank engine grunted confused. 

Green Arrow said nothing and only stared after the retreating Class 08.

~~~

"So you can talk now huh?" Diesel oiled at Arrow as he found the Class 08 near Harwick Station. 

"Not a lot of people approve of me having my voice back," Green Arrow admitted to Diesel. "I figured you would be upset."

"Upset?" Diesel scoffed, feigning his boastful attitude. "Why would I be upset?"

"Because maybe you thought that you wouldn't have someone to listen to your grievances any more," Arrow pointed out and Diesel glared at him.

"You've probably gone and told all my secrets to all your steamie friends!" Diesel sneered and Arrow gave a snort.

"What friends? I don't have friends, you see how the others treat me," Green Arrow argued and Diesel looked thoughtful. 

"I suppose that he true, hehe, guess I had nothing to worry about," Diesel piped up. 

Diesel started to oil away but Arrow spoke up again. 

"You can still talk to me if you want, you actually helped me get a gauge on everyone else on this island you know," he offered. "I appreciate that."

Diesel stared at him and then smirked.

"Two outcasts just hanging out," he oiled and Arrow smirked in return. "But I'm not your friend, Steamie. I just liked to complain at you because you couldn't respond."

"Perhaps, but still, the offer is there," Arrow stood firm. 

Diesel stared at him then humphed before meandering away. Without another world. 

A few weeks later, the Class 08 was back to complaining at Arrow as if nothing happened, and Arrow was glad for it knowing that he was making Diesel at least a little bit happier.

~~~

#traintober #traintober 2023 #ttte young iron #ttte fanfic #ttte #ttte diesel #ttte green arrow #ttte sonny #ttte young iron au

[friendly-emerald-emily]

as an american i forget that some of the thomas characters are voiced by british celebrities. so imagine my surprise when im watching the uk version of hole in the wall (long story) and i hear sonny's voice. joe swash was participating in a celebrity special of the show! and now i cant get the image of sonny trying to get his giant well tank engine self to fit into the titular Hole In The Wall ™️

#ttte #ttte shitpost #ttte sonny #yeah idk what else to tag this with #i just thought it was funny

[coldkryptonitecupcake]

“Abomination”, Ch. 10

  "You ready back there, big guy?" Poppy called over her shoulder as she double checked her gear. "Ready and waiting!" Narvuk called back as the ship zoomed towards their landing zone. "Good. Remember the route, stay close, and try not to die."

The Knight cocked his head at her. "Is that it?"

"Same plan as always, really."

"That explains a lot." Narvuk replied, rolling his eyes.

  Sonni appeared at Poppy's shoulder. "Five seconds until drop point." he warned in his British-sounding voice. "Please, do be careful." Narvuk hefted his sword and grinned.

"What's 'careful'?"

  Then he opened the cargo hold door and jumped out. Poppy rushed to the edge in time to see him hit the ground and roll to his feet out of the dust cloud. He looked back up at the ship, as if to say "You coming?" She shook her head and snatched up her helmet, donning it before transmatting down to the surface. When she reappeared, she was greeted by a Dreg's body flying past, quickly followed by its head.

  "Narvuk, what the hell? Watch where you're throwing..." She trailed off as she saw the Knight bisect a Captain before crushing its companion's skull in his hand. He turned, and she saw death in his eyes, almost like Sienna when she was in the field. But where Sienna was cold as ice, there was only fire in Narvuk's eyes.  Over Narvuk's shoulder, Poppy noticed a Vandal charging its rifle to take him out. But as she raised her gun, a CRACK! rang out, and the would-be sniper's head disappeared in a cloud of Ether.

  Poppy didn't even turn around as she holstered her weapon. "Thanks."

"Stay focused, you two. Let's move." Sienna ordered, reloading as she strode past them. Narvuk grumbled an apology and turned to follow the Hunter, Poppy close behind.

      Ten minutes later, the trio were hunkered down in a side building as a Scorn Walker rained Solar missiles down on the roof. "Anybody got any bright ideas?" Sienna shouted, peeking around the corner only to duck back as a Scorn Rifle shot passed through where her head had been. "Bbright? No. Idea? Mostly." Narvuk called back. "If you ttwo can draw thheir fire, I mmight be able to get closse and disable the tank."

Poppy shook her head vehemently. "You won't get close enough, there's no way. Those missiles will tear you apart."

  "It's that or stay here for longer than we can afford. We're going with that. Hope you know what you're doing, big guy."Sienna said before unsheathing her sword and dodging out of cover, leaping up to where the nearest Stalkers stood. Poppy raced out after her, machine gun already firing at a Raider across the way.

  Narvuk eyed the exit opposite Sienna's route. It seemed to be clear of enemy fire. He hefted his Cleaver and charged out. As he raced across the room, he saw Sienna leap over his head and unleash a volley of blazing knives, disintegrating the Scorn in front of her.

  Suddenly, a bolt of Void energy caught the Knight on the pauldron, breaking off the tip. Narvuk spotted the Raider instantly and changed course, now barreling towards his assailant. Another bolt hit him in the chest, and the next took off one of his head spikes. He knew that he wouldn't make it before the Scorn took his head off, and the others were busy with the rest.

  As he rolled to avoid another blast, Narvuk had a flash of inspiration. He reached out with the Arc tentacle and pulled a shield from one of the nearby Lurker corpses. His hand closed on the edge just in time to block the next shot with a clang. Without wasting a moment, Narvuk spun and threw the shield like a discus. But as the shield flew, the Scorn pulled its trigger one last time. Its aim was good even in death, the literal parting shot burning a hole between all of Narvuk's eyes. The shield took the Raider through the neck not a moment after, and it collapsed.

     Sienna was there in seconds to revive hum. "Get up, Guardian. No rest for the undead." Narvuk shook his head to clear it before nodding his thanks. He had little time to recover, for another barrage of missiles was on its way. The Knight zeroed in on the tank, noticing that the upper legs were unarmored. He took off with a speed that belied his size, zigging and zagging to avoid the Solar rain.

  As he closed the distance, he saw Poppy from the corner of his eye, shooting out one of the walker's legs.  This triggered its Arc shield, supposedly protecting it while it rerouted power. Narvuk charged right through, the bolts crackling over his skin for a moment. Using the broken leg as a ladder, he clambered atop the tank and plunged his sword into the now-exposed engine core. He wrenched it back and forth as if trying to pry the core out of the tank, tearing the core to pieces.

  He quickly withdrew his sword and leapt off, rushing to get clear as the tank's systems failed. He reached Sienna and Poppy just before the walker finally collapsed and exploded behind him. "So, ggood plan?" The Hunter rolled her eyes and marched past him.

"Anything's a good plan if it works. You could suggest going through the pipes and call it a good plan."

"Hhave you tried that?"

"Yes. Didn't go so well. Now, keep moving."

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny fic #destiny fanfiction #destiny eris #Eris Morn #destiny zavala #Zavala #ikora rey #destiny ikora #destiny hive #OC insert #sorry for the wait

[lovemesomerafael]

No One Else                              Chapter 1:  Back In The Day

The bullets are flying and Sonny Carisi has no idea how he’s gonna get out of this one.  For that matter, he’s not entirely sure how he got into this one, but that question is less pressing right now.  There are four of them, all armed, and one of him, and he’s not sure how much ammunition he has left.  He sees one of them crouch-run behind some cars, and shoots, but hits nothing but one of the cars.  Although he has taken one of the shooters out of action, the point isn’t really to hit them, it’s to keep them pinned so he can get the hell out of here somehow. But he’s not sure how, exactly, he’s gonna accomplish that.  And it’s really starting to bug him that he forgot to start counting his shots.  He’s gotta be getting low and, of course, he doesn’t have a spare clip on him.  Why would he? He just came here to interview a witness.  

He really has to get out of Homicide.  Assuming, of course, he doesn’t become one today.  

He’s in a detatched, open garage full of junk stacked haphazardly, across an open yard from four piece-of-crap cars parked one behind the next on a gravel driveway that goes to a big old house. The house has been subdivided into several crackerbox apartments, one of which supposedly houses a guy who witnessed the murder he’s investigating.  But, for some reason, as Carisi approached the house, shield in plain view around his neck, some asshole started shooting at him from the house, and pretty soon he was pinned down here in this garage and more assholes were shooting at him from behind the cars.  Since his squad car is the fifth one in line on the driveway, it’s pretty clear he’s not leaving the way he came.  

Another of the shooters makes a move.  Crawling around between two of the cars, he tries to cower there and get a good shot at Carisi.  Carisi aims and the guy goes down.

But Carisi isn’t the one who fired.

The shot came from behind him. Now he’s screwed.  One of these assholes has crept up to the garage and is now behind him.  Except why did they shoot their own guy?  He’s trying to get very small and squeeze further between the stacks of junk he’s hiding in, since now he’s got shooters on both sides.  It was probably not a good idea to skip Confession last week, because this is not looking good.  He sees movement further back in the garage and thinks maybe if he can take this one out, and just have to deal with the three left behind the cars…

“Hey, can you hear me?” A female voice hisses.  

“Come out!”  Carisi shouts.  “Show yourself!”  

“Will you shut up?  It’s not like they don’t know where you are, but you don’t have to help them.  I’m Kinsella, Narcotics.”

“What?”

Carisi sees a dirty-blonde head pop up above a cardboard box, behind a Sig Sauer P226.  He hears the shot, followed by a loud, whiny string of curses from behind the cars.  The head and the Sig disappear back behind the box.  

“My name.  It’s Detective Kate Kinsella, NYPD.  Narcotics.”

“Carisi.  Homicide.”

“Well, Carisi Homicide, we got three down and three still shooting, and that’s about as good as it’s gonna get. We’re gonna have to shoot like hell and make a run for it.”

“Uh…  That’s gonna be a problem.  I’m low.”

“No extra clip?”

“I was comin’ here for a witness interview.”

“Shit.  If my count is right, you got two shots left.  Right?”

“Uh, yeah.  Right.”  She’s been counting my shots?  Shit.  Carisi didn’t think he could feel like more of a moron.  Live and learn.

He realizes that she must have slipped in through the door on the other side of the garage, which means the shooters saw her.  But they didn’t shoot at her, so she has to be undercover.  Or, she was.  The fact that she’s now shooting at them is gonna give these assholes a pretty big fucking clue that she’s not on their side.

He turns back to the cars. Seeing nothing moving, he picks up a broom with half the bristles missing and the others mildewed together in a clump, and waves it over his head.  A series of gunshots erupts, including one that hits uncomfortably close. But he does see one guy peeking up over the hood of one of the cars.  If he could get him to shoot again…

He takes aim and waves the broom again.  The guy lifts up for a second to shoot and Carisi fires his last two bullets.  The guy goes down, yelling, which means Carisi hasn’t hit him, but maybe he got some shrapnel in his eye or something. Good enough.

“All right, Carisi Homicide, that’s it.  Let’s get outta here before something else goes wrong.”

Sonny holsters his now-useless weapon.  “You got any ideas?”

“Head right, and run along the side of this building.  It’s at an angle to the driveway, we’ll have cover.  I’ll cover us.  Ready? On three?”

More shots begin, and they’re hitting very close to where Carisi is.  “Fuck that.  Just start shootin’!”

She does, and Carisi jumps from behind the pile of junk and runs like hell straight toward the gunmen behind the cars to the front of the garage.  He hears her fire several shots and sees her when he turns to his right and makes for the side of the garage.  She’s shooting wildly, just to keep the assholes’ heads down, and running for it.

Carisi makes the side of the garage and runs about halfway to the back before turning around.  He sees her come around the corner and flatten her back against the side of the garage.  She’s tall, probably five foot eight or nine.  She has disheveled dishwater blonde hair that looks like it hasn’t been washed in a while, spilling out of a knot low down on her head.  She’s wearing torn, dirty fatigues and a ratty black leather jacket that looks a little too small.  He can see what looks like a pink T-shirt where the jacket is unzipped.  

“Don’t just stand there, find us a way outta here!”  She calls to him, and turns to fire a couple more shots toward the assholes still left behind the cars.  

“That’s my car, the black one at the end of the line.”

“Well, that’s clearly not gonna work.  Think again,” she shouts over her shoulder.  

Carisi looks around and says, “I got it.  Keep ‘em occupied,” before disappearing behind the garage.  

Kinsella is slapping a fresh clip into her Sig when she hears a car engine behind her and turns her head to see Carisi at the wheel of a barge of a vehicle.  She fires several rounds toward the driveway, then turns and runs toward the long, low-slung old sedan, skirting behind it so as not to expose herself to fire from the assholes shooting at them.  She struggles with the passenger door, finally getting it open with a grunt and a squeal of metal – the car has major body damage on that side and the door doesn’t want to move – and slides in, keeping low.  Carisi puts his foot down on the gas, and the heavy car reluctantly begins to move.  He heads the car across an expanse of mostly dead lawn to the street, where it thunks down the curb, bottoming out with a shower of sparks, and lumbers away from the house.

Kinsella is kneeling on the bench seat, trying to keep low but aiming out the back window in case they’re followed.  She doesn’t think it’s likely, but those idiots can be unpredictable.

When it’s clear they aren’t being followed, she turns around and plops down onto the seat.  She would put on her seatbelt, if this car had any.  It’s gotta be thirty years old or more.  It’s old fashioned Detroit steel, with bench seats that go all the way across in the front and the back and are as wide as couches.

Carisi is smiling.  Smiling.  

“What’s the smile for?”  She asks.

“C’mon.  You gotta admit that was a little bit fun.  You know, now that we didn’t die and all.”

“Fun.  You call that fun.”

“Yeah.  Well, a little.  Wasn’t it?”

Kinsella hesitates, but when Carisi looks over at her, her lips are twisted in a reluctant grin.  “Maybe a little.  I did kinda enjoy the part where you cruised up in this fucking aircraft carrier.  What is this thing?”

“This?  It’s a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis.”

“Where did it come from?”

“It was behind the garage.  I wasn’t sure it would start, it doesn’t look like it’s been driven since the Reagan administration, but I hotwired it and it started right up.”

“You hotwired it?  How do you know how to do that?”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t always the paragon of law abiding behavior you see before you.  But we gotta figure out where we’re goin’, because there’s not much gas in the tank.”

Kinsella sighs.  “Turn right at the next light.  Might as well get this over with.”

“Get what over with?”

“Telling my bosses I just blew the cover it took me three months to build.  Which, by the way, why did I do that?  Who the hell are you?  What were you doing just walking up to a known BX9 house with your shield hanging around your neck like a target?”

“That’s a known BX9 house? Says who?  How come we didn’t know that?”

“Good question.  Which I’m sure you’re gonna get asked.  Turn left at the next corner.”

 Walking into the 92nd Precinct, Detective Kinsella is immediately greeted by a plainclothes officer with a shiny, shaved head and a wiry, compact frame who appears to have been heading out.  “Kate – what the fuck?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Are you blown?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Cap’s gonna kill you.  You probably should just start running.  I’m thinking Venezuela?”

She shakes her head and pinches the bridge of her nose.  “He in?”

“Yeah, he’s in.  I’m coming with you.  I wanna see this.”

“You always were a ghoul.” She turns to Carisi.  “Ahmad Washington, this is Carisi Homicide.”

“Detective Dominick Carisi, Junior. Call me Sonny.”  He shakes hands with Washington.

“Homicide, huh?  Which house?”

“The 94th.”

“He’s the reason I got blown,” Kinsella adds.

Washington smiles and Carisi follows them to a stairwell and up to the third floor.  At the back of a bustling, chaotic bullpen that comprises the entire third floor of the precinct, Kinsella knocks at the door of an office where, through a row of windows, they can see a huge, bullnecked man with a red face yelling into a phone.  He sees her and, if anything, his face gets redder.  He motions her in and shouts into the phone, “Look, I gotta call you back.” There’s a short silence while the person on the other end of the phone speaks.  “Yeah, yeah, I’ll take care of it.  Quit bustin’ my balls.  You’re givin’ me an ulcer.”  He slams the phone down.

“Kinsella, what the actual fuck?”

“I’m blown, Cap.  Not my fault.  In fact, I’m not sure whose fault it is.”

“Well what the fuck happened? And who the hell is this?”  

Carisi extends a hand to the Captain, who stares incredulously at it, but reflexively shakes it in a clammy grip that Carisi wasn’t expecting.

“Detective Dominick Carisi, Junior, Sir.  I’m from Homicide.”

The Captain turns his disbelieving stare back on Kinsella.  

“I was in the house, counting cash with Tamryn Fisher.  I heard shots coming from the other room, so I went to investigate, and I found Eddie Andrews shooting out the window at someone running across the yard.  You know that freestanding garage.  The doors are always open, and he ran in there.  I asked Eddie what he was doing and he said the guy was a cop. I asked him how he knew and he said the guy had a shield hanging around his neck.  Next thing I knew, the Easton brothers and their buddies were running outside, taking cover behind their cars, and shooting into the garage.  I had no choice, Cap.  If I hadn’t gotten him out, he wouldn’t have gotten out.  He was down to two bullets.”

Kinsella can hear Washington snickering behind her.  This is the kind of shit that happens to Kinsella, and he lives for it.  One of these days the Cap is simply gonna explode from stress, and Kinsella’s a big reason why.  Washington hopes he gets to see it.

“That’s true, Sir.  Your detective saved my life.”

The Captain starts yelling, and doesn’t stop yelling for the next forty-five minutes.  Some of the time, he yells at Kinsella and Carisi.  Then he calls Carisi’s Sergeant and yells at him, after which he gets transferred to his Captain and yells at him. Then he returns to yelling at Kinsella and Carisi again.  By the time they slink out of his office, Carisi’s ears are ringing and they have a meeting with several levels of brass from both the 92nd and 94th Precincts at four p.m., which is in two hours.  

Washington leaves, still laughing like he’s just been to a comedy show, and Kinsella shows Carisi to a break room.  It’s messy and a little dirty, pretty much like every other Precinct house break room he’s been in.  The coffee is just as bad as everywhere else, too.  

“Still think this is fun?” Kinsella asks, taking off her jacket and flopping down on a couch upholstered in plastic with cigarette burns in it. The number of years since smoking has been allowed in a police station tells Carisi how old the couch must be.

“I coulda done without the ass-chewing,” he grins, choosing a metal folding chair from around a large table in the center of the room.  He sort of folds himself onto it, long thighs splayed wide.

“Oh, trust me, that wasn’t the ass-chewing.  The ass-chewing happens at four.  But if we’re lucky, the brass’ll chew each other’s asses, and we can just watch.  This wasn’t our fuckup.  If the 94th didn’t know that house was BX9, and they sent you just walkin’ up the front sidewalk…  That’s not on us.”

“If you hadn’t been there, I’d be swiss cheese right now.”

“Remember that, and say it at four. Because they’re gonna wanna say I didn’t have to break cover.”

“I will.  Count on it.”

“You better, Carisi Homicide. You’re the only thing standing between me and being a resident cop at some middle school in Sheepshead Bay.”  

“I wish you’d quit callin’ me that.”

“Sorry,” she smiled mischievously, clearly not sorry at all.  “What’s your name again?”

“Call me Sonny.”

“Sonny.  I’m Kate.  And if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go take a shower and change for the meeting.”

Sonny thinks about her as he kills time reading outdated magazines and old newspapers in the dirty break room, waiting for it to be four O’clock.  She’s cute, and he noticed when she took off her jacket that she has a nice rack.  He likes her.  He especially likes that she was willing to wade into a firefight and risk her own life to get him out of that garage.  

 At four O’clock, Sonny is sitting next to his Sergeant at a large conference table.  He feels like he’s waiting outside the Principal’s office in elementary school, but he keeps reminding himself that this was not his fault. He was where he was told to go, doing what he was told to do.  Somebody fucked up, but it wasn’t him.  The meeting seems to be starting; everyone takes a seat, and it takes him a moment to realize that the woman across from him, sitting between her own Sergeant and the red-faced Captain, is Kate Kinsella.  

She looks very different than she had earlier.  Her hair is in some kind of a twist that’s professional as hell, and she’s wearing makeup, which she hadn’t been before.  She’s more than cute, Sonny thinks.  She’s hot. And the slacks and short-sleeved sweater she’s wearing do a lot more for her body than the fatigues she’d been wearing earlier.  She’d been cute when she was dressed to fit in with the gang bangers at the house. Dressed as herself, she’s a knockout. She sees him looking at her and gives him a little smile.  

Kate would have rescued a fellow cop in Sonny’s predicament no matter what.  But as she looks over at him, with those blue eyes and that unruly brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt under a black suit jacket and his shield still around his neck, she thinks he is definitely worth rescuing.  She wonders what his story is.  

Sonny is as good as his word, explaining that he could not have survived the garage had Kate not come to his aid.  Between the two of them, they quickly explain what happened and even Kate’s Captain agrees that she had to break cover.  Anyway, the brass doesn’t seem to be interested in Sonny or Kate.  They’re more interested in blaming each other for the fact that the 92nd had intelligence that the 94th did not. Soon, Sonny and Kate are able to sit quietly and try not to draw anyone’s attention, while shooting amused looks at one another at some of the heated exchanges that take place between their supervisors.  

When the meeting ends, no one thinks to say anything to Kinsella or Carisi, which is fine with them.  

 The next day, Kate gets a small bouquet of flowers at work, with a card that says, simply, “Thank you. Carisi Homicide”.   She’s charmed.

It takes Sonny very little time to use his fairly new detective skills to determine that Kate Kinsella is single and not known to be seeing anyone.  He wants to see her again, but he can’t think of a single pretext, so he ends up having to just man up and call her.  He invites her out to dinner, and she doesn’t do a very good job of trying to play it cool when she accepts.  She’s elated that he called, and he’s elated that she’s elated.  

He has to use his detective skills once again to find a place to take her in Brooklyn.  Sonny’s from Staten Island and, although he’s been working in Brooklyn for a year, he still doesn’t know it very well.  But he wants to take her somewhere nice, so he drives all his colleagues crazy asking for recommendations and finally decides on a nice Italian place that he can barely afford.  

Kate’s roommate opens the door of her apartment and lets him in, leaving him standing awkwardly in their small living room / kitchen while he hears them giggling in what must be Kate’s bedroom.  He hears the word “cute” and hopes that means he has the roommate’s seal of approval.  He does.

Kate comes out in a little black dress that actually belongs to her roommate, and makes Sonny re-evaluate his opinion that Kate has a nice rack.  In that dress, Kate has a spectacular rack, and he is suddenly tongue-tied and nervous, which makes him say all kinds of moronic things that will haunt him for days.  She finds it irresistible.  She finds him irresistible.  

Which is why, after dinner, when he fumbles his way through asking her back to his apartment, she quickly agrees. And when he makes a move to kiss her once they’re there, she agrees to that, too.  He’s a magnificent kisser.  So good, in fact, that she revises her plan to do no more than kiss him on this first date.  When he runs his hand down the front of her dress, she moans to encourage him, and when he slips his hand under the dress to caress her bare breast, she reaches back and unhooks the top.  It’s a halter dress, so Sonny can just push the top aside, which he does.  Pretty soon his shirt is off, too, and then his hand is under her skirt and then his fingers are inside her and she’s biting her tongue as she comes because the walls of his apartment are really thin. Which means good manners dictate that she undo his pants and make him come with her hand, too.  So she does.

Their second date is kind of not a date; with their schedules, it’s hard to find an evening when they are both free, so they go to the firing range, as they’re required to do once a month, and get paid to spend time together.  They’re competitive, or at least they pretend to be, so they both do pretty well.  They also thoroughly enjoy themselves.  On the way back to Kate’s Precinct, Sonny parks in the back of a liquor store parking lot and they thoroughly enjoy each other.   Or at least, they do the best they can in an unmarked police car in broad daylight.  

By their third date, Sonny is entirely smitten.  They’re going to see a spy movie Sonny has been wanting to see, but what he’s really excited about is he’s pretty sure they’re going to have sex.  He pays particular attention to his hair and worries so much about how much cologne to wear that he gets himself wrapped around the axle about it and ends up not wearing any.  Kate doesn’t care.  She thinks Sonny smells great, and she also thinks he’s about the cutest, sweetest man she’s ever met, let alone dated.  Kate’s smitten, too.

When they get back to Sonny’s apartment after the movie, he’s made coffee-flavored panna cotta, which Kate thinks is adorable.  It’s delicious and they feed each other spoonfuls which, of course, leads to kissing. Kissing leads to touching, and removing each other’s clothes, which leads to Sonny’s bed.  He’s been thinking about this.  He’s read or heard somewhere that women can’t usually have an orgasm just from intercourse, so he decides to go down on Kate before they actually have sex, so that having his own orgasm when they do have sex won’t make him a selfish bastard.  

When she recovers from the out-of-body experience of getting oral sex from Sonny Carisi, Kate is astounded at his skill and creativity.  She was planning to fuck him anyway, but after that, she’s on board for pretty much anything.  They have sex a few times that night and the following morning, and by the time the weekend is over, they’ve agreed to be an official, exclusive couple.  

The Carisi family falls head over heels for Kate, in large part because she’s so obviously head over heels for Sonny. His sisters freak Kate out a bit. She has sisters of her own, but they have boundaries.  Still, the Carisi girls don’t take long to bash their way into Kate’s heart, and pretty soon she’s going shopping and to brunch with them, without Sonny, and she’s in their confidence as though she’s one of them.  Kate likes Sonny’s Ma, too, with her obvious protective love for him and her equally obvious hatred of his dangerous career choice.  She wants him to go to law school and, although she likes Kate well enough, she wishes Sonny woulda picked a girl who wasn’t also a cop.  It’ll only encourage him.  Kate’s favorite member of the Carisi family has to be Sonny’s dad. In a house full of nattering, shrieking, cackling women, he is an oasis of taciturn calm.  He is as sweet, genuine, and funny as Sonny is, but he’s never gonna out-shout his women, so if you want to hear what he has to say, you have to come to him.  He is also the voice of finality in the family.  Everyone else can argue and rail to their hearts’ content, but when Dominick Carisi has rendered a verdict, the determination is final and everyone knows it.

Sonny and Kate spend the next year together and, somewhere closer to the beginning than the end, they realize they’re in love.  Sonny starts thinking about what he wants, because Homicide is getting to him and the idea of law school is pretty attractive, but if he leaves Brooklyn, it’s gonna get tough to be with Kate.  That’s the only reason he hasn’t asked her to marry him, because everything else is perfect. This, with her, is what he’s always wanted.  He imagines the future with her because he can’t stand the idea of a future without her. She’s his best friend, the sexiest and most fun best friend he’s ever had, and he can’t get enough of her.

But Homicide is really getting to him.  Kate tells Sonny to ask for a transfer.  His sisters tell him to ask for a transfer.  His Ma tells him to ask for a transfer and gives him some printouts about the night school law program at Fordham University. When his dad tells him to ask for a transfer, Sonny does.  He also applies and gets accepted to Fordham Law.  He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to find his calling.  

It takes six months, but he’s finally transferred to Staten Island SVU.  Almost immediately, he knows two things.  First, this is work he has a natural feeling for.  He thinks he could be good at this.  Second, living back in Staten Island and having a girlfriend he wants to spend every waking moment with (sleeping, too, for that matter) is not going to work.  After two months, he asks for and is transferred to Brooklyn SVU.  It’s a nightmare.  He’s with Kate, but the Captain running Brooklyn SVU hates his job almost as much as he hates women.  Sonny can’t take it.  He’s already feeling like SVU is what he was born to do, and he cannot watch victims be marginalized, disbelieved and, worst of all, disrespected.  

The asshole Captain also enjoys giving Sonny shit about looking so young, so Sonny grows a mustache.  It is completely and utterly wrong on him, the dictionary definition of a pornstache, but everyone loves Sonny too much to tell him. Kate can’t support the ‘stache, but she totally supports Sonny when he jumps at a chance to transfer to Queens SVU. Big mistake.  Both the lieutenant and Sonny’s partner take an immediate and active dislike to him and he lasts a week.

An Assistant Deputy Chief, who has always seen something in Carisi, steps in.  She contacts Deputy Chief Dodds and talks up Carisi’s interrogation skills which, to be fair, are raw but very promising.  She avoids mention of the mustache.  Dodds is always looking to bank a favor, so he agrees to send Carisi to Manhattan SVU.  He’s heard rumblings that the Captain in Brooklyn and the Lieutenant in Queens don’t like Carisi, but the Captain in Brooklyn is a cretin and the Lieutenant in Queens is a marginally competent whackjob, so Dodds figures that’s a point in Carisi’s favor.

Sonny likes Manhattan SVU right away.  This is a unit where they take sex crimes and their victims seriously, he can feel it.  He instantly sees the dedication and passion in everyone there, especially Sergeant Benson. He’s found a home, and it takes him very little time to recognize it.  

All his dreams are about to come true.  He’s halfway through law school now, and it’s long since become his ultimate dream to become an ADA and prosecute sex crimes.  Manhattan SVU’s ADA, a smug smartass named Barba, is fast becoming Sonny’s idol.  Barba doesn’t miss a chance to smack Sonny down for some reason, but it isn’t personal, just a bit of sadistic fun, and Sonny doesn’t mind it.  Everything seems to have fallen into place for Sonny Carisi.

Except.

Except his job can be 24/7, and it’s in Manhattan.  And he’s in love with a woman whose job can be 24/7, too, and it’s in Brooklyn.  And all that is in addition to him being in law school.  At first, Sonny and Kate just kiss and shrug and say they’ll make it work. But it’s not long before they’re stretched so thin their time together starts to feel like conjugal visits at Attica and he’s too exhausted sometimes even for that.  She tries not to complain.  There is no other man for her than Sonny Carisi, and she’ll accept whatever he can give her.  But it’s hard.  She misses him so bad sometimes she thinks she’ll die from it, and once he finally shaves off that fucking pornstache, she surrenders and asks about transferring to Narcotics in Manhattan.  Except no one in her chain of command is willing to let her do it.  

One of their all-too-infrequent visits hits her on a bad day, and she breaks down in front of him, something she has sworn not to do.  She tells him how bad it’s gotten for her, and he says it’s the same for him.  But they agree that they love each other too much to give up.  They struggle on for a couple more months until, out of nowhere, she thinks she might be pregnant.  She’s not, but it’s the beginning of the end, because it makes them face facts.  All of the options for living together, being a family with their child if there had been one, involve one or the other of them giving up pretty much everything else. And as much as they hate the idea of doing that themselves, neither of them is willing to let the other do it.  

Which is why, at this moment, Sonny is sitting on a stone bench in Prospect Park, crying in the arms of the woman he loves.  He is helplessly in love with Kate Kinsella.  He wants to marry her.  And there is simply no way that either one of them can see to make it work when he’s in Manhattan with his wagon hitched to a star and she’s in Brooklyn making a name for herself.  She’s about to go undercover for an extended period of time, maybe months. It’s time to give up on the idea that they can somehow find a way to be together.  They can’t, and it’s time to admit that before their relationship gets battered into little pieces and they end up destroying something that is sacred to both of them.

It’s rough.  They go back to Kate’s apartment – Sonny’s already given up his place in Brooklyn – and cry while they make love.  They kiss each other goodbye and wish each other happiness.  They’re not going to try to keep in touch.  It’s too painful.  It’s easier just to end it and be done.  But oh, fuck does it hurt.

 *****************

Kate always feels odd wearing a suit, and she thinks nylons are a misogynistic nightmare made to prey on women like her, who can’t figure out how to live a normal life and still keep a garment precisely one nanometer thick in one piece for an entire workday.  She usually doesn’t dress up this much for court, but this trial is a big deal.  The perp committed crimes in several Northeastern states, and those committed in New York were done in several different Precincts.  With the FBI involved and national attention on the trial, the Brooklyn DA’s office wants the 92nd Precinct to make Brooklyn look good.  Anyway, Kate’s all right.  After all the undercover work she’s done, she’s used to playing dress-up.  This is basically just a variation on a theme.  

Today, the Judge is hearing a number of motions, one of which is a motion to exclude her testimony and all the evidence they gathered when her team busted into his room at a cheap motel.  The reason is some bullshit having to do with her violating the perp’s Fourth Amendment rights during the search.  The Judge has agreed to let the attorneys voir dire her outside the presence of the jury so that she can make a ruling.  With no way to know in which order the Judge will want to hear the motions, Kate figures she’s in for a long, boring morning in court.

Until she sees him.  Until she sees his tall, lanky frame enter the courtroom with that unmistakable walk and that hair that looks like no one else’s on the planet.  Assistant District Attorney Dominick Carisi. Assistant fucking District Attorney Dominick Carisi.  She’s mildly concerned that her heart has been stopped since he walked in, but she’s more concerned about the instant tears that threaten.  Cardiac arrest won’t ruin her makeup.

He looks good.  He looks so good.  His hair has a lot of silver in it now, which brings home to Kate more than anything how many years it’s been.  The Senior ADA says something to him and he smiles at her and Kate actually feels a physical pain in her heart.  To say she’s missed him would be like saying the Hindenburg had a bit of a problem on landing.  She’d cried on the day he graduated from law school and she couldn’t be there to share his accompishment.  She’d looked for his name every time the Bar Association put out a list of those who had passed the bar exam, and she’d cried again when she saw it and knew that she hadn’t been there to celebrate with him.  Kate now hopes the motion she’s here for will be called last, so she can just sit here, watching him live his dream.  He’s beautiful.  She’d forgotten how impossible it was to look away from him.  She’d known she wasn’t over him.  She’d known the men she’d dated since Sonny had all been unfavorably – and unfairly – compared to him.  But until this moment, she hadn’t realized that he was still the only man for her.  

He’s apparently sitting second chair for this trial.  Kate doesn’t know where she gets off being proud of him, as though he still belonged to her, but she is.  And when he addresses the court and she gets to hear his voice, she wants to clap and cry at the same time.  Assistant fucking District Attorney Dominick Carisi.  He’s wearing a nice suit and it fits him well, which gets her to thinking about his body so that now, not only is she overjoyed for him, shocked to see him, and freshly heartbroken again, she’s horny for him, too.   Her testimony is going to be gobbledygook.

The motion to exclude that testimony is called mid-morning. She wonders whether he knew she was going to be testifying today, and figures he must have.  She wonders whether he will acknowledge her.  She’s not nervous about testifying after all the times she’s had to do it, but her rubbery legs and vibrating body tell her she’s very nervous about testifying in front of Sonny.  

She takes the stand and doesn’t look at him as she’s sworn in. She’s glad to see that the Senior ADA is the one who stands up to question her for the People, but it’s time. They’re going to have to acknowledge one another at some point, and it’s time.  She turns her eyes to him, and he’s looking at her.  He gives her just the tiniest grin and then he fucking winks. In open court.  From the Prosecution table.  The tears threaten again, but she emulates his little grin and then turns all her attention to the ADA.  

The Judge excuses Kate from the witness stand and she risks another look at Sonny.  He’s looking at her again, or still, and this time their smiles are just a bit bigger. Kate sits and listens to the Judge rule that Kate’s testimony and the evidence are in.  She’s glad.  It means she can help nail the scumbag who’s on trial, and it means she’ll see Sonny again. She’s making plans to buy a new suit for the trial as she stands to leave the courtroom, expecting that Sonny will be very busy doing ADA things and won’t even see her go.  

Those who had been watching the motions shuffle slowly down the aisle until, just before reaching the door, Kate steps aside behind the last row of seats.  She’s promised herself one long, last look at Sonny before she actually leaves the courtroom. She turns around to look, and Sonny isn’t there.  

He’s five feet away, waiting impatiently for people to move out of his way so he can catch her.  When he knows she sees him, his smile is bright enough to scorch the air.  He looks so happy she feels those damn tears again, only this time, there’s no way she can stop them.  Fortunately, there are only a few, and she wipes them quickly away with her hand before he finally reaches her.  His eyes seem a bit moist, too.  He always did wear his heart on his sleeve.  Oh, how she loves him.  Still.

He takes her into his arms, lifting her off her feet, although she’s only a few inches shorter than he is.  

“Kate, it’s so good to see you,” he says into her hair, his voice thick with emotion.  He’s not going to cry, not here in the courtroom, but he could if he let himself. He’s been looking forward to this meeting for weeks.  Imagined it a thousand times.  She feels exactly how he remembers, only better because it’s been so damnably, unbearably long.  He’s happy to feel that she’s squeezing him back, holding him close the way he’s holding her.  “I’ve missed you.  You’ll never know how much I missed you,” he murmurs, turning his head to inhale as much of her scent as possible.  He doesn’t give a fuck who’s watching, or what they think.  This is Kate.  She’s right here, right now, and he isn’t going to miss a thing.  

“Probably about as much as I missed you,” she says into his ear.

When he loosens his arms, he doesn’t completely let her go. He keeps his hands on her waist, just like he’d planned.  His big hands could almost touch around her small waist.  He’s looking down into her eyes, and they’re both smiling broadly and – what?  Giggling, maybe?  Oh, what the hell.  This is a huge moment, and if they giggle through it, so be it.  That is kinda them, anyway.

“Look at you!  Assistant DA. You’ve come a long way, Carisi Homicide.”

“Got a long way to go, still, but I’m here.”

“I hardly know what to say to you.  You look fantastic, and your family must be about dying with pride.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty happy.  My Ma’s thrilled I’m not carryin’ a gun anymore, or gettin’ shot at.”

“Especially when I’m not around to save your ass.”

They smile at eachother and suddenly they’re hugging again.

“I saw you made Detective First Grade.  Proud a’ you.”

Kate blushes a little and Sonny can feel that blush, way low down.

“I wanna see you.  I can’t today, I’m neck deep, but sometime soon.”

Kate doesn’t know how to respond.  She looks a little surprised.

“Please?”

“Shit, Sonny, of course I want to see you, I just, wasn’t expecting that is all.”

“We’re still friends, right?”

“Always.”  

“You got a boyfriend or somethin’, you could bring him along,” he says, praying fervently that she will say she doesn’t.  He has no right to, but he wants to break things at the thought of her with someone else.  Especially because she’s become even more beautiful since he’s seen her last.  She moves with an authority that becomes her, that probably stems from the success she’s had at Brooklyn Narcotics.  She’s wearing her hair down, and it’s got a little curl to it, and he wants nothing more than to run his hands through it and then grab handfuls and pull her to him and kiss her stupid.  

“I don’t, actually.  You got a girlfriend?”

“Not me.  I’m a little married to the DA’s office right now.  So I guess it’ll be just us.”

“I guess so.”

“Can I call you?”

“Of course.”

They put each other’s current numbers into their phones and then it’s time for her to go.  Court’s about to reconvene.  They hug for the third time in ten minutes, and it lasts too long, but neither of them can let go.  Sonny’s dick is definitely feeling Kate’s presence, which is eventually what makes him break the hug.  

After she says goodbye and he watches her leave the courtroom, giving him a little backward glance, he swears under his breath.  He’s still as much in love with Kate Kinsella as he ever was. He’s tried, but he hasn’t met anyone who can hold a candle to her, and he realizes that, somewhere in his imaginings about seeing her today, he had dimly hoped that she would be different.  That he would feel nothing and realize he’d moved on.  Nope. His heart still belongs entirely to her.

#law & order svu #law & order: special victims unit #sonny carisi #peter scanavino #ADA Carisi #Dominick Sonny Carisi Jr #Call me Sonny

[jacewilliams1]

Visiting the Mooney family

From the April 1976 issue of Flying magazine:

“HOT DAMN! I done bought myself an airplane! A used Mooney. A hangar queen. It had 700 hours; it was seven years old. I bought all that trouble and glory.  My own flying machine. After having the airplane crazies since I was a kid and renting airplanes for 20 years thinking I couldn’t own one, my Diane cut me loose for it.

“Go on, it’s only money. You’re 50 years old and you got about 20 good, juicy summers left. When they pat you in the face with that shovel, you can’t come back and wish you’d bought an airplane. Airplanes have always been so much of your life. Go on, enjoy, enjoy!”

And so, with help from the Internet, I retrieved this article from Flying magazine, and read again one of Gordon Baxter’s most inspiring articles: the purchase of his beloved Mooney Ranger. I first read this story in 1976 and the memory of it has been with me for many, many years. Even though I am the owner of a Piper Archer, I have always had a thing for Mooneys and the people who build them.

Life sometimes takes you to places you never expect to be, and I recently found myself in Bandera, riding a horse at the Mayan Dude Ranch as part of a family visit to San Antonio. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was only 25 miles from Kerrville, Texas, the home of Mooney, and so many stories.

A distinctive design – and company.

I was given a hall pass the next day, drove to Kerrville, and turned on to Al Mooney Road. I parked myself in front of the guard shack with the intent of visiting the place. I was greeted warmly by Mike, the security guard, and told him that I wanted to learn more about the people of Mooney, and would attempt to write a story about the Mooney family. He appreciated my efforts, but told me that tours were not available during the time of my visit. He was gracious enough to provide the business card of their employee relations manager, Devan Burns, gave me a 70-year Mooney Anniversary Sticker, and encouraged me to visit next time I was in the area. Mike is a class act!

Anytime I see a quality product or company that has been around for a long time, I know there are quality people that make it happen. Usually these folks have persevered through tough times, supported each other, and dedicate themselves to producing the best quality product or service year after year. I was convinced the reason Mooney is still around would be the people, and I wanted to see this for myself. Yes, it’s a powerful airplane, but powerful people had to be the reason they’ve survived, I hoped.

I left Mooney that first day knowing that I had tried, but realistically knowing that last-minute requests have little chance of success. Before I left the parking lot, however, I wrote a note on my iPad to Devan, asking if I might be able to come back the next day and interview a few of the Mooney people who make it happen. I never expected a reply. After all, it was late Thursday afternoon and we were leaving Saturday morning. Quite frankly, I felt a bit foolish even asking.

So, I was very surprised to receive a response on Friday morning saying if I could be in Kerrville by 1:30 pm on Friday, Devan would arrange for a tour of the plant, followed by a visit with her before I left. I couldn’t believe it, and was granted another hall pass by “you know who” to make the trip.

So, please bear with me as I tell you about the fascinating people I met on a Friday afternoon in February at the Mooney plant.

Larry “The Rain Man” Jacoby was my host for the day. Larry was first employed by Mooney in 1978 at the height of the 201 production. He is known as “The Rain Man” because of his extraordinary recall of part numbers and their locations in the plant, where he now works in receiving. He has been employed four different times by Mooney, and continues to be a dedicated employee.

The first stop on my Mooney adventure was the completion center, where a beautiful Acclaim Ultra was receiving the finishing touches before delivery to a customer. New airplanes make for pretty pictures, but seeing a brand new one in person is a totally different experience. The beautiful color scheme, the smell of a fresh leather interior, plus the feeling of extreme speed, are unmistakable. I know that, as pilots, we look at performance specifications, mission profiles, etc. when we make airplane decisions, but I’m convinced that pure emotion has a great deal to do with it.

The next stop was the welding shop. Next time you look in the engine compartment of most Mooneys, think of Rick Heimann. Rick has worked for Mooney for 41 years, and welds the steel engine supports along with his partner, Earl Sevey, who has been with Mooney twice, the first time for four years, and the second time for seven. These folks just don’t give up. Rick has worked on the early C and E Model Mooneys, and was welding the engine support for a new Acclaim while I was there. It was the beginning of a fascinating day.

Many employees at Mooney have been with the company for decades.

Mooney makes nearly everything on site. My next stop was the machine shop and hammer house, where metal is molded into airplane parts by huge hydraulic presses that tower above. I met Sonny Hutchinson, who took me through the formation of the wing primary skins. Think of Sonny and his crew next time you see the flush-riveted leading edge of a new Mooney Ovation. I saw complete wing spars, wing ribs, and bulkheads, all freshly manufactured.

The new Mooney management has invested heavily in modern equipment. In the lay-up room, I met Mike Feller, Debbie Weise, and Julie Meador. Although Mike has been with Mooney over 40 years, he and his team adapted to a new vacuum-assisted digital lay-up process for composite parts that eliminated hand shears that have been used for years for laying up fiberglass parts. Debbie’s daughter, Shana, works for Mooney as well. So many families had their start at Mooney: Husbands and wives first met and went on to have families who all have worked for Mooney. It is a family experience here.

In the shear room, I saw how dedicated Mooney is to continuing their commitment to strong airframes made of metal. Their new Flow ultra-high pressure cutting machine uses 53,000 lbs. of water pressure to cut digitally guided designs in thick metal parts, without burrs and additional finishing. Larry Jacoby started in this room in 1978, when the 201s were first being built.

The wing makes a Mooney special, and seeing the entire one-piece wing on a jig in the sub-assembly room was something to behold. I thought I was watching a fighter being built. Next time you see a photo of a new Mooney, think of Clifton Leda and his team, who sealed the fuel tanks and assembled the interior of the wing. The care being taken to make this airplane first class is extraordinary.

I had a special introduction to Lucy Hernandez and Nora Havran in the upholstery shop, who make the custom upholstery for the sturdy seats now found in the new Ovation and Acclaim. They are extraordinary people who take extraordinary care installing customer-chosen leather on sturdy seat frames made totally in-house at Mooney.

My final stop was seeing a new Continental engine being mounted on an Acclaim going to a lucky buyer.

One can’t help noticing the second door that is part of every Mooney now being manufactured. I wonder what Gordon Baxter would have thought of the second door on a new Mooney. Would he buy a new one? I’d expect he’d probably hang on to his old Ranger.

I remember the picture showing 30 workers standing on the wing of a Mooney. Will any of the readers remember their names?

Yes, the wing is strong, but the people who make them are extraordinary. I feel so fortunate that I had a chance to meet them.

Whatever airplane you choose to buy, I’d recommend that you meet the people who build them. It would be good to know that they have your back when flying at 20,000 ft.

Excuse me, I meant to say 25,000 feet, if you’re flying a Mooney Acclaim Ultra!

The post Visiting the Mooney family appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/05/visiting-the-mooney-family/

[totesmccoats]

Wednesday Reads 6/13/18

Eternity Girl #4

As Caroline reaches out to destroy the Chaos Engine, the nature of her existence of infinite recursions reveals itself to her, and to us. The result is an issue that’s a treat in formalism, as the book shifts styles, from Tank Girl to Silver Age Comics, Peanuts strips, and more, including one that made me smile from ear-to-ear it fit so gosh darned well. Sonny Liew approximates…

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#dc comics #eternity girl #exiles #marvel #mister miracle #plastic man #quicksilver #squirrel girl #superman #the flash #the man of steel

[carsubstance]

Once Brian Kohlmann decided to build the hot rod of his dreams, it all went crazy – in a good way. His custom 1931 Chrysler Coupe was meant to be street driveable, fast enough to race, and good looking enough to win car shows – which it did. Obviously, it had to be a Mopar.

Brian settled on what was advertised on eBay as a ’31 DeSoto straight-six coupe, a body-and-frame only. However, a Chrysler collector revealed that this was not a DeSoto, but a ’31 Chrysler CM Six coupe that shared the same chassis and coachwork as the DeSoto – cool, right?

The project started with modifications to the chassis, including a custom-fabbed 18-gallon gas tank inboard; but, that’s far from everything that’s been done to this incredible ride. He also installed a set of elephant-ear motor mounts, a new mid-plate, and cross-member. Please note the Moser and Wilwood-equipped Dana 60 with 4.56 gears, bolted to a pair of Alston ladder bars and Panhard bar.

Have I mentioned the Aldan coilover rear shocks? The front suspension consists of a 6-inch dropped AMS axle reworked to make way for ’38 Plymouth spindles and GM front disc brakes, as well as chromed ’31 Chrysler parallel leaf springs with Speedway Engineering friction shocks.

Of course, nothing says “hot rod” like a blown Chrysler Hemi engine, and the team at R&J Performance was more than willing to help out with that. IT all came down to a 0.030-over ’56-vintage 354-inch Chrysler Hemi block, which was then fitted with a Sonny’s billet 392 Hemi crank.

The remainder of the rotating assembly consists of GRP big-block Chevy aluminum connecting rods, with a Crane blower roller cam, Johnson roller lifters, a Milodon gear drive, Titan 1100 oil pump, and 10-quart oil pan part of the build as well. R&J Performance also prepared aluminum alloy Hot Heads, with the final assembly also comprising Manton pushrods, Manley titanium valves, Manley springs, Manley titanium retainers, and Missile rocker arms.

As a result, the powerplant develops 950 hp and 875 lb-ft of peak torque – seems like enough, right? At least the power matches the overall menacing vibe. Speaking of which. all body alterations and stylish exterior paintwork were handled by Dick Wolton from Custom Car Care. On the inside, Brian’s Mopar features the stock bench seat reupholstered in crème leather, with orange piping and burnt orange carpets. Also worth mentioning are the Simpson harnesses, Moon steering wheel, and Auto Meter Ultra Lite gauges. Gotta love it!

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<<hotrod>>

1931 Chrysler Coupe by Brian Kohlmann Once Brian Kohlmann decided to build the hot rod of his dreams, it all went crazy - in a good way.

#1931 Chrysler Coupe #1931 Chrysler Coupe by Brian Kohlmann #Brian Kohlmann

[ikoarts]

(18/03/2024

Oopsy!

(loves overthinking her faves and giving them tragic backstories)

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #fanart #fine art #ttte #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte sonny #sonny the well tank engine

[ikoarts]

(12/03/2024)

Forgot to upload these ==

Some human Sonny doodles plus an attempt at drawing him as if he were in the early model series x

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #fanart #fine art #ttte #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte sonny #sonny the well tank engine #ttte humanised #humanisation

[ikoarts]

Messy doodle of Sonny from the other night, coz I like him x

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #fine art #fanart #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte sonny #sonny the well tank engine

[ikoarts]

(07/01/2024)

why are my ttte faves the ones who get underutilised and the writers were never bothered to include them again........ anyway here's more human Sonny, predictably

I enjoy thinking of the song Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl by Olivia Rodrigo as a Sonny song, so the lyrics are in there, as well as some silly doodles :D

To be honest I've been planning this drawing since I first conceptualised his human design, maybe it'd be fun to include those here under the cut for u to see how the art block had me in a chokehold.....

me struggling extremely hard for like a week to draw anything ⬇️

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #fine art #fanart #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte sonny #ttte diesel #sonny the well tank engine #devious diesel #Ttte marvellous machinery #ttte humanised

[ikoarts]

(25/04/24)

Forgot to post my art again oops x

I've been working on a little horror AU for a good few months now, but hadn't really drawn anything for it, not sure when I'll talk more in depth about it but, enjoy these in the meantime :)

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #TTTE Boilerache AU #MyAU:Boilerache #fanart #fine art #TTTE #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte diesel #devious diesel #ttte millie #ttte sonny #sonny the well tank engine #ttte emily #emily the emerald engine #ttte edward #edward the blue engine #ttte boco #ttte bill #ttte humanised #humanisation

[ikoarts]

(04/01/2024 // 05/01/2024)

Toxic yaoi x

sorry i do kinda ship them.... bye......

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #digital art #fanart #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte diesel #ttte sonny #devious diesel #sonny the well tank engine #ttte humanised

[ikoarts]

(03/01/2024)

"What?! But I just took the trouble to save ya'!!"

Here's Sonny! I sort of randomly felt like drawing a little digital thing of him, once I figured out his colours and all, I'm quite pleased with it, though I think I should have drawn on a larger scale, reason it's such a small canvas is that I was thinking of doing more doodles but I only ended up with this one oops

The background was meant to be a bit more detailed but I couldn't be arsed... still the clouds were fun to paint in

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #digital art #fanart #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte sonny #sonny the well tank engine #ttte humanised

[ikoarts]

(02/01/2024)

Couple phone doodles from earlier this month, I have my Honey sim in TS4 a bow and I thought it was super cute, so wanted to doodle her with it quickly

Also literally just a coloured version of one of my concept doodles of my human Sonny which you can see the originals of here

#iko's shit #don't tag as kin/id/me #digital art #original art #fanart #original character #ocs #ocs:honey #ttte #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte sonny #Sonny the well tank engine #ttte humanised