Development.

In 1957, Yugoslavia's VTI (Aeronautical Technical Institute) commenced design work on the aircraft, which would later receive the name Galeb. The principal purpose for the development of the Galeb was to produce a domestic replacement for the American-built Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, which at the time was the most commonly used jet trainer aircraft in use by the Yugoslav Air Force; the Galeb was to be capable of meeting the varied qualities and requirements involved in performing "ab initio", intermediate, and advanced instructional training missions. Primary manufacturing of the Galeb was performed by Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer SOKO at their facility in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been established earlier that decade in 1951.  The Galeb was developed as a collaborative effort between Yugoslavia and the United Kingdom, and reportedly contributed significantly to the export value of the latter;. a significant proportion of components and ancillary equipment, such as the powerplant, ejector seats, and navigational fittings amongst others, that were installed upon the aircraft had been sourced from or were directly produced by a range of British aerospace manufacturers. According to aviation publication Flight International, the heavy proportion of British equipment employed upon the Galeb was a decisive factor in the appearance of the aircraft at the 1968 Farnborough Airshow.  Sponsorship for the aircraft's development was provided by the British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce Limited, whose Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet engine was selected to power the type. The selection of the Viper engine to power the type had been motivated by a broad requirement for a simplistic powerplant that would be easy to service and be robust in spite of the inevitably rough handling performed by inexperienced pilots during flight training, as well as being easy to install within the airframe and possessing modest turbine inlet temperatures.  A total of two prototype aircraft were built to conduct the type's flight test program. On 3 July 1961, the maiden flight of the first of these prototypes, referred to as Galeb 1, was performed by test pilot captain Ljubomir Zekavica. The principal difference between the Galeb 1 prototype and the later Galeb 2 was that Galeb 1 had three rubber tanks in the fuselage, while the later Galeb 2 employed a total of two fuselage tanks holding 230 gallons (US) and two wingtip tanks holding 51 gallons (US) each. Following the completion of a full-size wooden mock-up, the second prototype Galeb 2 was constructed - establishing the G2 type designation.  During flight tests, a maximum speed of 812 km/h (440 kt) at 6,200 m (20,100 ft) was achieved in clean configuration, with no paint and a polished airframe. Top diving speed was Mach 0.81, which could be obtained during a prolonged dive from high altitude. According to Soko's chief test pilot, captain Dusan Krvavica, the Galeb is "unfatiguing and easy to fly"; other favourable attributes of the aircraft include docile stall characteristics and being capable of conservative touchdown speeds.  The G2 Galeb made its first appearance outside of Yugoslavia at the 1963 Paris Air Show.  In 1964, production of the G2 commenced, making it the first indigenously-developed jet aircraft to enter mass production in Yugoslavia (the first jet-powered plane built by Yugoslavia was the Ikarus 451M in 1952, which did not enter production). After the Soko 522, it was the second aircraft built at SOKO. The first production series G2-A was entered in the aircraft register of the Yugoslav Air Force on 30 July 1965, and the last one on 6 January 1981. The G2-A was known within the Yugoslav military under the N-60 designation. Production of updated aircraft for export to Libya was extended until mid-1983. Soko produced a total of 248 Galeb aircraft, 132 of which were used by the Yugoslav Air Force.

Design.

The G2 Galeb is an versatile trainer aircraft, suited for carrying out a varied range of training missions to minimize number of aircraft needed to meet an operator's overall training requirements. The aircraft is flown by a crew of two, typically a candidate pilot and an instructor, which are seated in a tandem cockpit layout, the candidate being typically placed in the forward position; both crew members are provided with Folland Type 1-B lightweight ejector seats.  The Galeb is powered by a single Armstrong Siddeley Viper II Mark 22/6 turbojet engine, capable of providing up to 2,500lb of thrust. According to Flight International, the Viper engine provides the aircraft to perform rapid and stall-free acceleration under all conditions. The Galeb has a simple structure, using conventional stressed-skin construction using frames and bulkheads. The rear fuselage, which attaches to the main fuselage of the aircraft just behind the cockpit canopy, enables a high level of accessibility to the engine and the surrounding section; the forward fuselage contains to the tandem cockpit, integral center-section, and most systems. Tail unit pick-up points are present on the rear fuselage bulkhead. The Galeb features an all-metal straight wing, complete with tip tanks; the landing gear retracts into the wings rather than the fuselage.  The hydraulic system include an engine-driven hydraulic pump, a hydraulic reservoir/accumulator, and filter. The electrical systems involve a 24-volt battery, a high-energy ignition system, generator, landing and taxi lamps, navigation lighting, and an anti-collision beacon. Pneumatic systems comprise a bleed air compressor, de-icing/de-misting measures, and elements of the environmental control system. In the absence of a pressurized cabin, the aircraft's practical ceiling is between 7,000 (22,800 ft) and 9,000 m (29,000 ft). According to Soko, a pressurised cabin was developed by 1968 for the Galeb and was made available to customers. The Air Force needed a trainer with secondary combat ability that could operate from unprepared runways; being unfamiliar with such requirements, the designers provided for landing gear strong enough to make the aircraft suitable for landing on aircraft carriers. The need for a safe training aircraft that is forgiving on landings meant that the wheels retract into the wings instead of the fuselage, making for a heavier, straight wing, which is less likely to stall on landing, but precludes supersonic flight.  The trainer-orientated Galeb has few design differences to the ground attack-orientated Soko J-21 Jastreb; aside from strengthening of the airframe, one distinct difference between the two aircraft is the deletion of the rear cockpit on the J-21 Jastreb, this location has instead been covered by a fairing and the internal space used to contain avionics and other aircraft equipment. The Galeb is readily capable of performing ground attack missions in addition to its training role, being fitted with underwing hardpoints that are compatible with a range of munitions, such as bombs and rockets, along with 12.7mm machine guns; to conduct reconnaissance missions, camera equipment could also be installed upon for the aircraft.

Operational history.

The G2-A Galeb was the standard version operated by the Yugoslav Air Force. They were used primarily for school-combat training of VVA (Military Air Force Academy) cadets, thus the largest number of these aircraft was located within the VVA units. By 1968, the Galeb was reportedly being used for the training of the majority of the Yugoslav Air Force's pilots.  The aircraft was reportedly very easy and forgiving in flight, with easy maintenance, so students and technicians loved it. They regularly achieved 5,000 hours in the air (the G2 Galeb on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum had 6,200 hours in its logbook). A G2-AE export variant became available from late 1974 and was built for Libya and Zambia.  During the early 2000s, a Serbian jet display team, The Stars (aka Zvezde), was formed; they conducted their international debut using a total of four G2 Galebs at the AIR BORNE 2007 airshow at the Rakica.

Balkans.

The G2-A Galeb saw extensive combat use by the 105th Fighter-Bomber Regiment of the Yugoslav Air Force over Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Bosnian War. United Nations personnel stationed in Croatia observed multiple Galebs depart Udbina in Serb-controlled territory to conduct strike missions.

First Congo War.

According to some reports, France and Yugoslavia supported Mobutu's government during the First Congo War. Namely, Yugoslavia agreed to dispatch three J-21 and one G2 aircraft, as well as four MiG-21PFMs, while three Mi-24s were purchased from Ukraine and sent to the region as well. All these aircraft were based at Gbadolite Airport in the Nord-Ubangi District, and were flown mainly by Serbian mercenaries. With few exceptions, it remains unknown exactly what happened with each of these aircraft and how were they used after their arrival in Zaire in late 1996-1997. In the case of Mi-24s it is known that one hit a power line and crashed on 27 March 1997, killing the three crewmen and four passengers.  The fate of at least one J-21 Jastreb was not much better: Ratko Turčinović, one of the Serbian mercenaries, was killed while flying an ultra-low-level pass over Gbadolite and clipping a lamp post with his wing. The wreckage of his aircraft fell directly onto a column of young soldiers on a parade, causing dozens of deaths amongst them. Turčinović is alleged to have fallen victim to a personal alcohol problem. After this event, the Serbs were expelled and the Jastrebs and Galebs were abandoned along with the MiG-21s and two Mi-24s which were meant to be put together by group of Russian or Ukrainian technicians at Gbadolite but the assembly work was never completed.

Libya.

The Libyan Air Force was a prolific operator of the type; by 2002, it reportedly possessed a total of 80 G2 Galeb aircraft remaining in its inventory.  The type was used extensively during the 2011 Libyan civil war by government forces fighting against a popular uprising centered in the Eastern region of Libya. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi used the type to routinely perform ground attack missions upon rebel forces. On 24 March 2011, one G-2 Galeb was destroyed after landing by a French Air Force Dassault Rafale after it had violated the declared No-Fly Zone over Misrata. The following day, a further five G2 aircraft together with two Mil Mi-35 helicopters were reportedly destroyed by French combat aircraft operating in the same area; satellite imagery later revealed that these five aircraft had in fact been Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighters instead.  During the current Second Libyan Civil War, Islamist forces from Libya Dawn (led by the unrecognized new General National Congress based in Tripoli) are reported to have two to four Galebs in service. However, their actual operational status is hard to determine.

Popular warbird.

Before the Yugoslav Wars, at least a dozen Galebs were purchased by American warbird dealers, and several are still on the civil register today. Other operators are located in Indonesia, Serbia, New Zealand, Slovenia and the United States. It's been also used in Air combat scenes of the movie.

The Soko G2 Galeb () is a Yugoslav single engine, two-seater jet trainer and light ground-attack aircraft. The G2 was developed during the 1950s by the Aeronautical Technical Institute at Žarkovo as a replacement for the Lockheed T-33 in service with the Yugoslav Air Force ( – RV i PVO). Production started in 1965 at the Soko aircraft factory in Mostar, and ended in 1985 with 248 aircraft delivered. The G2 had the distinction of being the first mass-produced jet aircraft in socialist Yugoslavia. It also served as a basis for the single-seat ground-attack J-21 Jastreb.

Soko G-2 Galeb je dvoumístný cvičný a lehký útočný letoun. Letouny byly vyráběny v továrně SOKO v Mostaru v Jugoslávii a používány v jugoslávském letectvu až do jeho zániku v roce 1991.


Early life and personal life.

Nelson was born Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to Jean and Walter Nelson. His father was an alto saxophone player who led his own dance band. His mother, Jean, was a member of a dance troupe when younger. Nelson attended local schools in the Wakefield area and in the 1960s went to Wakefield College of Art. Nelson's younger brother, Ian (1956–2006), collaborated on the Be-Bop Deluxe song "Ships in the Night" and formed the band Fiat Lux; he also played on the 1979 Red Noise album "Sound-on-Sound" and with the 2004 touring band Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites.  Nelson has three children, Julia (born 1970 with Bill’s first wife, Shirley) and Elle (born 1978) and Elliot (born 1981), both born with Bill’s second wife, Jan. Elle and Elliot played in their own band, Honeytone Cody, between the late 1990s and 2014. Some time around April 1995 Nelson married Emiko, who was previously married to Yellow Magic Orchestra drummer Yukihiro Takahashi.

Career.

1970s.

Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. At this time, he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon Duane Eddy as a primary guitar influence.  His first record was a brief contribution on the album "A-Austr: Musics from Holyground", with Brian Calvert, Chris Coombs, Ted Hepworth, Mike Levon and Brian Wilson. Levon recorded and produced the album which appeared on Levon's own Holyground Records label in 1970. After that, Nelson appeared in a much more substantial role with Lightyears Away on "Astral Navigations" released in 1971. On one track, "Yesterday", written by Coombs, Levon recorded Nelson's lead guitars in an acid rock style, supporting Coombs' stylophone riff. This track also gave Nelson his first airplay by John Peel on his national BBC Radio 1 programme in the United Kingdom. Nelson's Holyground recordings were released in February 2001 as "Electrotype".  In 1973, Nelson's debut solo album "Northern Dream", released on his own independent Smile label, drew further attention from Peel which eventually led to Nelson's band Be-Bop Deluxe signing to EMI's Harvest Records subsidiary and releasing "Axe Victim" in 1974. Nelson replaced the original band members for "Futurama" in 1975. The lineup of Bill Nelson (guitar), Andrew Clark (keyboards), Charlie Tumahai (bass) and Simon Fox (drums) recorded "Sunburst Finish" and "Modern Music" in 1976, the live album "Live! In The Air Age" in 1977 and their final studio album "Drastic Plastic" in 1978.  Nelson found the structure of a permanent band constricting. An instrumental on "Drastic Plastic" performed by Nelson (acoustic guitar) and Clark (keyboards) anticipated Nelson's later solo ambient work. Other tracks on that album required Fox record drum parts for use as repeating loop backing tracks in the studio. (Performing these songs live on the subsequent tour, Fox would physically play these repeating patterns on drums). This sowed the seeds for later experimentation by Nelson. 1983's "Invisibility Exhibition" tour would see Bill Nelson (guitar) and Ian Nelson (sax) improvise to the former's self-produced backing audio (and video) tracks (later released as the "Chamber of Dreams" album), an approach Nelson would repeat for many solo live performances throughout his career. Playing the guitar over pre-recorded backing tracks would bear further fruit in later studio recordings, notably the "Painting With Guitars" series (2003, 2015) and "And We Fell Into A Dream" (2007).  In autumn 1978, Nelson halted the Be-Bop Deluxe project, removed Tumahai and Fox from his immediate working band and replaced the name with the moniker Red Noise (releasing the "Sound-on-Sound" album in February 1979). Harvest, who had insisted on naming it "Bill Nelson's Red Noise", refused to release the second Red Noise album "Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam" which was largely recorded by Nelson with contributions on sax from his brother Ian rather than the more-obviously marketable five-piece band Harvest's execs had understandably expected. It remained unreleased in record company limbo.  Meanwhile, with his producer from Harvest John Leckie, Nelson did some production (and, in Nelson's case, sessions keyboards) work for the band Skids, whose guitarist Stuart Adamson was an admirer of Nelson's musicianship. Fruitful friendships followed. Vocalist Richard Jobson would appear as a support act reading poetry on the "Invisibility Exhibition" tour. After Adamson's death in 2001, Nelson composed a piece in memory of his departed friend, called simply "For Stuart", which appeared on 2003's "The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars" and (in a live version) on 2011's "live at Metropolis Studios" DVD.

1980s.

Nelson's manager Mark Rye negotiated with Harvest to buy back some of the unreleased songs for Nelson to release under his own name on his own label, Cocteau Records, which Nelson and Rye had set up. Consequently, in July 1980, Nelson was able to release the single "Do You Dream in Colour?", which after airplay on BBC Radio 1 reached No. 52 in the UK Singles Chart. This debut release on the label persuaded Phonogram to acquire the remaining tracks for Cocteau in order to release "Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam" as a Bill Nelson album on their subsidiary label Mercury Records in 1981. The release contained bonus disc "Sounding The Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming)" featuring experimental, ambient instrumentals which Nelson had recorded privately at his home. Subsequent Mercury releases included "The Love That Whirls", which included a bonus disc of Nelson's soundtrack for The Yorkshire Actors' stage production of Jean Cocteau's 1946 film "La Belle et la Bête"/"Beauty and the Beast". Nelson had already contributed music (and released it under the title "Das Kabinet" on Cocteau) to the same company's similar adaptation of Robert Wiene's 1920 silent film classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari".  Freed from the demands of a mainstream, commercial record company, Nelson released considerable quantities of singles and LPs on Cocteau throughout the decade, much of it by himself but also a number of singles by other artists, notably Last Man In Europe, A Flock of Seagulls, The Revox Cadets, Richard Jobson, Q (16), Fiat Lux, Man Jumping and Yukihiro Takahashi. The more ambitious Cocteau releases by Nelson himself included the four-LP box set of experimental electronic music "Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours)" and the later ambient two-LP collection "Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights", which contained music informed by Nelson's Gnostic beliefs. In 1989, he released the 4-CD box set "Demonstrations of Affection".  He was hired by English new wave artist Gary Numan to produce his 1983 album "Warriors", with Numan saying that Bill Nelson was his "favourite guitar player, bar none." However, the two musicians failed to maintain a working relationship, and ultimately Nelson chose not to be credited for his production role on the album. Nelson also contributed towards several tracks on David Sylvian's "Gone to Earth" (1986).  Nelson had bad luck with major record labels in the 1980s. A deal with CBS Records' Portrait imprint went sour, leaving the one album "Getting the Holy Ghost Across" (US title: "On a Blue Wing") with further tracks from that album's sessions issued on the UK mini-LP "Living for the Spangled Moment". In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to Enigma Records who went out of business, although they had just re-released his entire Cocteau catalogue.  As the decade ended, Nelson suffered a series of personal setbacks, including a divorce, tax problems and an acrimonious dispute with his manager over his back catalogue rights. In the case of one album, the unreleased "Simplex", Nelson discovered his manager had been selling copies via mail order without Nelson's authorisation or knowledge; Nelson claimed he never received any royalties from these sales.

1990s.

In 1992, Nelson released "Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars" on Virgin which consisted of demos for a proposed four guitarists, two drummers band which never materialised. "This is what I do behind locked doors," he wrote on the sleeve, prefiguring much of his later, home recorded work including "My Secret Studio" (4-CD + 2-CD) and "Noise Candy" (6-CD). In the same year, Nelson worked with Roger Eno and Kate St. John as producer (with Roger Eno) on the duo's album "The Familiar", on which Nelson also played guitar and other instruments. This experience fortuitously not only sowed the seeds of Eno's, Nelson's and St.John's participation in the 'ambient supergroup' Channel Light Vessel, which also featured Laraaji and Mayumi Tachibana, but also introduced Nelson to Voiceprint Records, whose subsidiary labels included All Saints and Resurgence, both of which would release a number of CLV and Nelson recordings over the next few years.  In 1995, Nelson released two very different albums. "Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames)" was an ambient piece which had provided the soundscape to an art installation. "Practically Wired, or How I Became... Guitarboy!" was a return to guitar-based instrumental music, something Nelson had barely touched for the previous decade and a half.  In 1996, Nelson augmented his sound with drum and bass for "After The Satellite Sings", credited as a major influence on David Bowie's "Earthling" album by Bowie's then guitarist Reeves Gabrels.  By 1996, Nelson's troubles with his former manager were resolved in a lawsuit which enabled Nelson to recover much of his back catalogue. The fully authorised "Simplex" was subsequently released in 2001 by Lenin Imports and reissued in 2012 by Esoteric.  In the late 1990s, Nelson created the Populuxe label, with a distribution arrangement via Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile, but his relationship with them stagnated and Nelson's last release on that label was "Atom Shop" in 1998. Subsequent releases have been on other imprints such as Toneswoon as well as direct mail order (and later internet order) releases.

2000s.

2002 saw the release of EP "Three White Roses & A Budd" (with Fila Brazillia and Harold Budd) on Twentythree Records.  In 2001, Nelson attended a first Nelsonica convention, set up in West Yorkshire by fans in his honour, taking with him drawings to sell to any interested parties. It proved such a good experience that he resolved to contribute live music performances, dedicated CDs of new material, and anything else that seemed appropriate, to any such future events. Nelsonica became an annual fixture in his calendar for the next decade or so. Attendees at 2002's Nelsonica 02 received a copy of "Astral Motel", the first convention CD release. Honeytone Cody played one set, Nelson and his brother Ian played a second, while Nelson's newly assembled seven piece band The Lost Satellites, which also included Ian, played a third. It was a resounding success and an annual institution was born.  Three further albums followed in 2003: "The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars", "Plaything", and a second Nelsonica CD "Luxury Lodge". Since then, Nelson has released an average of four albums a year, often in small runs which soon go out of print. He has accomplished this using his own series of branded record labels: Almost Opaque then Discs Of Ancient Odeon for the Nelsonica releases; Universal Twang then Sonoluxe for the others. (Nelson's Sonic Masonic imprint lasted for only one release, 2004's "Satellite Songs")  Nelson's in-house releasing was made possible by the financial backing of Sound on Sound magazine, whose website hosts his online shop and is named after Red Noise's "Sound-on-Sound" album. In 2004, the magazine also put up the money for Nelson to take his band Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites on tour around the UK as The Be-Bop Deluxe And Beyond Tour.  Nelson pursued different artistic directions. Two "Rosewood" releases contained acoustic guitar pieces "submitted to electronic and digital processing." The highly personal "The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill," was a concept album about the English coastline, ships and the sea, while its more ambient, instrumental companion piece "Neptune's Galaxy" comprised five long form instrumental compositions exploring the same subject. Of the former, Nelson wrote, "this set of songs comes (closer) to being personally fulfilling as almost any other album of mine." Most of the decade's remaining albums were lead electric guitar-oriented and non-vocal. Improvisation against pre-recorded backing tracks played a major role in "And We Fell Into A Dream" while the very different "Theatre Of Falling Leaves" eschewed lead guitar in favour of keyboards. The decade closed with more voice-based material as Nelson crooned through "Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow", delivered more familiar rock and ballad vocals on "Fancy Planets" and delved into romantic songwriting in "The Dream Transmission Pavilion".  In the first half of the decade, Nelson published his collected online diaries from 1999-2003 under the moniker "diary of a hyperdreamer". A second volume covering entries from 2005-2006 would appear in 2015. The last ten years of this diary remain on his official website to this day. He also gave extensive interviews to biographer Paul Sutton Reeves for a book, the publication of which was put on hold for around two years when publisher Sean Body died. "Music In Dreamland Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe," finally materialised in 2008.  In the second half of the decade, Nelson's live performances (mostly at the Nelsonica events) broadened out from solo work to encompass two other bands. One was the improvisational, three-piece Orchestra Futura consisting of Nelson, Dave Sturt (bass) and Theo Travis (assorted woodwind, brass). (The duo of Sturt and Travis already played together as Cipher.) The other was the more conventional rock oriented, seven-piece Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers (again including Sturt and Travis) which played songs with vocals from the extensive Nelson/Be-Bop Deluxe back catalogue.  By 2006, Universal Music (UK) had re-issued three Mercury albums: "Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam", "The Love that Whirls" and "Chimera" had all been remastered and released with bonus tracks. Sonoluxe had reissued the CBS album "Getting the Holy Ghost Across / On a Blue Wing" with all the original tracks including those from "Living for the Spangled Moment".

2010s.

In 2010, Nelson published the first part of an autobiography.  In March 2011, motivated by a desire to capture the flavour of recent gigs on film for posterity via DVD release, Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers played a concert of songs spanning Nelson's career before a live audience in front of in-house cameras at Metropolis Studios, London. Dissatisfied with the resultant sound mix, Nelson remixed it himself at his own expense. Using Nelson's remix, ITV Studios Home Entertainment released a DVD of the event. This initial release quickly sold out. A promised television broadcast of the recording only materialised in a few selected territories, excluding the UK. The video and audio recording has subsequently been reissued on other formats including CD and LP. However, having signed away his rights to these recordings, Nelson has made no money on these releases.  In 2011, Cherry Red Records' subsidiary Esoteric Recordings commenced a roll-out re-release of Nelson's back catalogue for many of his releases between 1981 and 2002 with the 8-CD compilation "The Practice of Everyday Life" which covered 40 years of recordings. Other notable reissues have included the 4-CD "The Book Of Splendours" and the 6-CD "Noise Candy". The Esoteric deal did not involve a rights buyout, so Nelson is properly compensated for these reissues.  In 2013, Nelson finally began releasing his out of print CD back catalogue from 2002 onwards as digital downloads via Bandcamp. On this platform he subsequently released the three volume compilation "The Dreamer's Companion" in 2014 and brand new albums commencing with "Special Metal" from 2016 onwards.  In addition to his numerous solo releases of recent years, Nelson has also made both film soundtracks and a number of collaborative recordings with other artists. In 2010, he released the soundtrack to the US TV documentary "American Stamps" as "Picture Post" while in 2014, he released the soundtrack to UK director Daisy Asquith's paean to cycling "Velorama" (a tie in with the 2014 Tour de France cycle race which went through Yorkshire) as "Pedalscope". In 2012, Nelson finally completed "The Last of the Neon Cynics", a long standing project with comic artist Matt Howarth: the latter supplied a comic (a PDF file) while the former provided a soundtrack to it. In 2014, he collaborated with fellow guitarist Reeves Gabrels (who has also worked with David Bowie and The Cure) on "Fantastic Guitars".  In 2014, Nelson suffered a complete hearing loss in his right ear. This put a stop to any plans for playing live (and by extension Nelsonica events built around live performance) for the foreseeable future. Yet he continued to record and release music despite this disability. The first album to be affected was "Quiet Bells". According to Nelson's sleeve notes, "to slowly adjust to this problem, I decided to make an album that features mainly guitar, a gentle collection of instrumentals in a neo-minimalist, ambient style."  In 2014, Nelson was honoured by Wakefield Council with a Hollywood-style star on the city’s walk of fame. He also designed an extremely limited edition 'Astroluxe Custom Ltd' guitar for the Eastwood company.  In 2016, 46 years after recording his debut album, Nelson released a sequel entitled "New Northern Dream".

William Nelson (born 18 December 1948 in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter, video artist, writer and experimental musician. He rose to prominence as the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the rock group Be-Bop Deluxe, which he formed in 1972. Nelson has been described as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies art rock movement". In 2015, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards.

Bill Nelson (* jako William Nelson; 18. prosince 1948 Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Anglie) je britský rockový kytarista, zpěvák, hudební producent a skladatel.


Early history.

The town of Concrete has undergone several incarnations, the earliest being a settlement at the northwestern junction of the Baker and Skagit Rivers, known as "Minnehaha." Amasa "Peg-Leg" Everett was one of the earliest settlers and in 1890, the townsite was platted by another settler, Magnus Miller. Shortly thereafter, a post office was established and the town name changed to "Baker." In 1905, a settlement across the Baker River came into being due to the building of the Washington Portland Cement Company and was named "Cement City." After the Superior Portland Cement Company plant was built in Baker in 1908, it was decided to merge the two towns. Inhabitants of the new community settled on the name "Concrete" and the town was so christened and officially incorporated on May 8, 1909.

Notable buildings and landmarks.

The town of Concrete is home to many old and original buildings, as well as a couple of engineering milestones:

Henry Thompson Bridge.

Built in 1916–1918 and so named for the Scottish immigrant, local settler, and Skagit County Commissioner who promoted its construction. The naming occurred after Henry Thompson was killed by a logging train in 1918. At the time, its graceful arch was the longest single-span reinforced concrete bridge in the world or perhaps just in the West and has been listed on the Washington State and National Historic Register since 1976. Until 1972, when the Washington State Department of Transportation re-routed Highway 20 (then known as Star Route 20) outside the town, the Thompson Bridge was the only connecting thoroughfare across the Baker River and into eastern Skagit County.  The bridge was originally designed by Bowerman and McCloy Consulting Engineers of Seattle, and built by J.R. Wood Contractors also of Seattle. It underwent a complete rehabilitation in 2003-2004. The engineer for the rehabilitation was Entranco, Inc. of Bellevue, Washington (who has since been acquired by AECOM) and the contractor for the rehabilitation was One Way Construction of Sedro-Woolley, Washington.

Concrete High School.

Concrete High School was built in 1952. Constructed with the typical and necessary scholastic appointments and one visible and unusual difference: the central portion of the building was built over the road leading to it. To make the best use of the property, South Superior Avenue passes beneath the building.The building replaced the previous high school building in the center of town. The hallways and the wood shop were used during the filming of the Michael Caton-Jones film, This Boy's Life in 1992. Concrete High School's school colors are purple and gold and their team mascot is the Lion. CHS's sports teams participate in the Northwest 2B/1A league under the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Concrete's Future Business Leaders of America was the fastest growing in the state during the 2012-13 school year.

"Concrete Herald" building.

Located in the heart of Concrete Town Center on Main Street, the Concrete Herald Building was originally built in 1918 as a Model T Ford garage complete with a gas-station out front. When the building was later converted to be the Brommer Logging facility, a large apartment was added to the upper story. It was shortly after this that "Concrete Herald" owner and editor Charles M. "Chuck" Dwelley took over the building and made it into a modern printing facility and new home of "The Concrete Herald" (established in 1910). When Robert and June Fader purchased the newspaper upon Dwelley's retirement in late 1970, the building remained the home for the weekly. When the building and newspaper were sold in 1990, the facility became a printing shop until the current owners turned the first floor into a liquor store franchise through the state liquor control board. The Concrete Herald Building has remained a liquor store to this date. As for "Concrete Herald", Concrete Mayor Jason Miller has given rebirth to the newspaper after purchasing the "Upriver Community News" from another local resident. As of May 6, 2009, "Concrete Herald" began a monthly publication schedule. The newspaper is sold in various locations throughout Skagit County.

Town Hall.

Originally built in 1908 as a grade-school, this wooden, clapboard building was originally located on Main Street across from the bank where classes were taught until 1910. When the building was no longer used as a schoolhouse, it was moved to its present location on West Main Street, next to the current post office. In its present location, the building has served alternately as a library, senior-citizen center, the city's current town hall with a satellite office for the Skagit County Sheriff's Department.

Concrete Theatre.

Originally built in 1923, the stage of the Concrete Theatre has entertained audiences with vaudeville, boxing matches, silent films and later what were known as "the talkies". The building is listed on the Washington Heritage Register

Lower Baker Dam.

At the time Lower Baker Dam was completed in 1925 and two years later raised to, it was the highest hydroelectric dam in the world. It is currently owned, operated, and maintained by Puget Sound Energy.  Author Tobias Wolff spent a large part of his teenage years in the Concrete area. Wolff's memoir "This Boy's Life" chronicles his early life living in eastern Skagit County and attending Concrete High School (referred to as "Chinook High School" in the novel). In 1993, the novel was also turned into a feature film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Ellen Barkin. The movie's exterior scenes of Concrete (as well as some interior scenes) were filmed in the town of Concrete and the surrounding area and a number of local residents were used as extras. In order to fit the "look" of 1950s-era Concrete, the town itself was transformed back in time "Hollywood style" for the weeks that filming took place in 1992.

Geography.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.  The town lies mostly on the north bank of the Skagit River, and is split into half by the lower Baker River (a tributary to the Skagit River). Mount Baker, a stratovolcano, lies northwest of Concrete and Mount Shuksan lies almost directly north. Both peaks are part of the North Cascades range.

Climate.

The town has a warm summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) with cool winters and warm summers.

Demographics.

2010 census.

As of the census of 2010, there were 705 people, 295 households, and 179 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 358 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 91.5% White, 0.3% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population.  There were 295 households of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.  The median age in the town was 40.4 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 790 people, 300 households, and 198 families residing in the town. The population density was 650.3 people per square mile (252.1/km). There were 335 housing units at an average density of 275.8 per square mile (106.9/km). The racial makeup of the town was 92.78% White, 2.53% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 1.14% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.  There were 300 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.19.  In the town, the population was spread out with 34.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.  The median income for a household in the town was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $34,464. Males had a median income of $34,083 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,492. About 8.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Concrete is a town in north-central Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 705 at the 2010 census. The town of Concrete is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Concrete je město v severní části okresu Skagit v americkém státě Washington. V roce 2010 mělo 705 obyvatel a bylo částí metropolitní oblasti Mount Vernon-Anacortes.


Overview.

Straight air brake.

In the air brake's simplest form, called the "straight air system", compressed air pushes on a piston in a cylinder. The piston is connected through mechanical linkage to brake shoes that can rub on the train wheels, using the resulting friction to slow the train. The mechanical linkage can become quite elaborate, as it evenly distributes force from one pressurized air cylinder to 8 or 12 wheels.  The pressurized air comes from an air compressor in the locomotive and is sent from car to car by a "train line" made up of pipes beneath each car and hoses between cars. The principal problem with the straight air braking system is that any separation between hoses and pipes causes loss of air pressure and hence the loss of the force applying the brakes. This could easily cause a runaway train. Straight air brakes are still used on locomotives, although as a dual circuit system, usually with each bogie (truck) having its own circuit.

Westinghouse air brake.

In order to design a system without the shortcomings of the straight air system, Westinghouse invented a system wherein each piece of railroad rolling stock was equipped with an air reservoir and a "triple valve", also known as a "control valve".  The triple valve is described as being so named as it performs three functions: Charging air into an air tank ready to be used, applying the brakes, and releasing them. In so doing, it supports certain other actions (i.e. it 'holds' or maintains the application and it permits the exhaust of brake cylinder pressure and the recharging of the reservoir during the release). In his patent application, Westinghouse refers to his 'triple-valve device' because of the three component valvular parts comprising it: the diaphragm-operated poppet valve feeding reservoir air to the brake cylinder, the reservoir charging valve, and the brake cylinder release valve. Westinghouse soon improved the device by removing the poppet valve action, these three components became the piston valve, the slide valve, and the graduating valve.  When the engine operator applies the brake by operating the locomotive brake valve, the train line vents to atmosphere at a controlled rate, reducing the train line pressure and in turn triggering the triple valve on each car to feed air into its brake cylinder. When the engine operator releases the brake, the locomotive brake valve portal to atmosphere is closed, allowing the train line to be recharged by the compressor of the locomotive. The subsequent increase of train line pressure causes the triple valves on each car to discharge the contents of the brake cylinder to the atmosphere, releasing the brakes and recharging the reservoirs.  The Westinghouse system is thus fail safe—any failure in the train line, including a separation ("break-in-two") of the train, will cause a loss of train line pressure, causing the brakes to be applied and bringing the train to a stop, thus preventing a runaway train.

Modern systems.

Modern air brake systems serve two functions:  When the train brakes are applied during normal operations, the engine operator makes a "service application" or a "service rate reduction”, which means that the train line pressure reduces at a controlled rate. It takes several seconds for the train line pressure to reduce and consequently takes several seconds for the brakes to apply throughout the train. In the event the train needs to make an emergency stop, the engine operator can make an "emergency application," which immediately and rapidly vents all of the train line pressure to atmosphere, resulting in a rapid application of the train's brakes. An emergency application also results when the train line comes apart or otherwise fails, as all air will also be immediately vented to atmosphere.  In addition, an emergency application brings in an additional component of each car's air brake system: the emergency portion. The triple valve is divided into two portions: the service portion, which contains the mechanism used during brake applications made during service reductions, and the emergency portion, which senses the immediate, rapid release of train line pressure. In addition, each car's air brake reservoir is divided into two portions—the service portion and the emergency portion—and is known as the "dual-compartment reservoir”. Normal service applications transfer air pressure from the service portion to the brake cylinder, while emergency applications cause the triple valve to direct all air in both the service portion and the emergency portion of the dual-compartment reservoir to the brake cylinder, resulting in a 20–30% stronger application.  The emergency portion of each triple valve is activated by the extremely rapid rate of reduction of train line pressure. Due to the length of trains and the small diameter of the train line, the rate of reduction is high near the front of the train (in the case of an engine operator-initiated emergency application) or near the break in the train line (in the case of the train line coming apart). Farther away from the source of the emergency application, the rate of reduction can be reduced to the point where triple valves will not detect the application as an emergency reduction. To prevent this, each triple valve's emergency portion contains an auxiliary vent port, which, when activated by an emergency application, also locally vents the train line's pressure directly to atmosphere. This serves to propagate the emergency application rapidly along the entire length of the train.  Use of distributed power (i.e., remotely controlled locomotive units mid-train and/or at the rear end) mitigates somewhat the time-lag problem with long trains, because a telemetered radio signal from the engine operator in the front locomotive commands the distant units to initiate brake pressure reductions that propagate quickly through nearby cars.

Working pressures.

The compressor on the locomotive charges the main reservoir with air at. The train brakes are released by admitting air to the train pipe through the engineer's brake valve. A fully charged brake pipe is typically for freight trains and for passenger trains. The brakes are applied when the engineer moves the brake handle to the "service" position, which causes a reduction in pressure in the train pipe. In normal braking, the pressure in the train pipe does not reduce to zero. If it does fall to zero, (e.g., because of a broken brake hose) an emergency brake application will be made.

Enhancements.

Electro-pneumatic or EP brakes are a type of air brake that allows for immediate application of brakes throughout the train instead of the sequential application. EP brakes have been in British practice since 1949 and also used in German high-speed trains (most notably the ICE) since the late 1980s; they are fully described in Electro-pneumatic brake system on British railway trains. Electro-pneumatic brakes are currently in testing in North America and South Africa on captive service ore and coal trains.  Passenger trains have had for a long time a 3-wire version of the electro-pneumatic brake, which gives up to seven levels of braking force.  In North America, Westinghouse Air Brake supplied High Speed Control brake equipment for several post-World War II streamlined passenger trains. This was an electrically controlled overlay on conventional D-22 passenger and 24-RL locomotive brake equipment. On the conventional side, the control valve set a reference pressure in a volume, which set brake cylinder pressure via a relay valve. On the electric side, pressure from a second straight-air trainline controlled the relay valve via a two-way check valve. This "straight air" trainline was charged "(from reservoirs on each car)" and released by magnet valves on each car, controlled electrically by a 3 wire trainline, in turn controlled by an "electro-pneumatic master controller" in the controlling locomotive. This controller compared the pressure in the straight air trainline with that supplied by a self lapping portion of the engineers valve, signaling all of the "apply" or "release" magnets valves in the train to open simultaneously, changing the pressure in the "straight air" trainline much more rapidly and evenly than possible by simply supplying air directly from the locomotive. The relay valve was equipped with four diaphragms, magnet valves, electric control equipment, and an axle-mounted speed sensor, so that at speeds over full braking force was applied, and reduced in steps at, bringing the train to a gentle stop. Each axle was also equipped with anti-lock brake equipment. The combination minimized braking distances, allowing more full-speed running between stops. The "straight air" "(electro-pneumatic trainline)", anti-lock, and speed graduating portions of the system were not dependent on each other in any way, and any or all of these options could be supplied separately.  Later systems replace the automatic air brake with an electrical wire which runs in a circle round the whole train and has to be kept energized to keep the brakes off. In the UK it is known as a "train wire". It is routed through various "governors" (switches operated by air pressure) which monitor critical components such as compressors, brake pipes and air reservoirs. Also if the train divides the wire will be broken, ensuring that all motors are switched off and both portions of the train have an immediate emergency brake application.  More recent innovations are electronically controlled pneumatic brakes where the brakes of all the wagons (cars) and locomotives are connected by a kind of local area network, which allows individual control of the brakes on each wagon, and the reporting back of performance of each wagon's brakes.

Limitations.

The Westinghouse air brake system is very trustworthy, but not infallible. The car reservoirs recharge only when the brake pipe pressure is higher than the reservoir pressure, and that the car reservoir pressure will rise only to the point of thermodynamic equilibrium. Fully recharging the reservoirs on a long train can require considerable time (8 to 10 minutes in some cases), during which the brake pipe pressure will be lower than locomotive reservoir pressure.  If the brakes must be applied before recharging has been completed, a larger brake pipe reduction will be required in order to achieve the desired amount of braking effort, as the system is starting out at a lower point of equilibrium (lower overall pressure). If many brake pipe reductions are made in short succession ("fanning the brake" in railroad slang), a point may be reached where car reservoir pressure will be severely depleted, resulting in substantially reduced brake cylinder piston force, causing the brakes to fail. On a descending grade, the result will be a runaway.  In the event of a loss of braking due to reservoir depletion, the engine driver may be able to regain control with an emergency brake application, as the emergency portion of each car's dual-compartment reservoir should be fully charged—it is not affected by normal service reductions. The triple valves detect an emergency reduction based on the "rate" of brake pipe pressure reduction. Therefore, as long as a sufficient volume of air can be rapidly vented from the brake pipe, each car's triple valve will cause an emergency brake application. However, if the brake pipe pressure is too low due to an excessive number of brake applications, an emergency application will not produce a large enough volume of air flow to trip the triple valves, leaving the engine driver with no means to stop the train.  To prevent a runaway due to loss of brake pressure, dynamic (rheostatic) braking can be utilized so the locomotive(s) will assist in retarding the train. Often, blended braking, the simultaneous application of dynamic and train brakes, will be used to maintain a safe speed and keep the slack bunched on descending grades. Care would then be given when releasing the service and dynamic brakes to prevent draw-gear damage caused by a sudden run out of the train's slack.  Another solution to loss of brake pressure is the two-pipe system, fitted on most locomotive-hauled passenger stock and many freight wagons. In addition to the traditional brake pipe, this enhancement adds the main reservoir pipe, which is continuously charged with air directly from the locomotive's main reservoir. The main reservoir is where the locomotive's air compressor output is stored, and is ultimately the source of compressed air for all systems that use it.  Since the main reservoir pipe is kept constantly pressurized by the locomotive, the car reservoirs can be charged independently of the brake pipe, this being accomplished via a check valve to prevent backfeeding into the pipe. This arrangement helps to reduce the above described pressure loss problems, and also reduces the time required for the brakes to release, since the brake pipe only has to recharge itself.  Main reservoir pipe pressure can also be used to supply air for auxiliary systems such as pneumatic door operators or air suspension. Nearly all passenger trains (all in the UK and USA), and many freights, now have the two-pipe system.

Accidents.

The air brake can fail if one of the cocks where the pipes of each carriage are joined together is accidentally closed. In this case, the brakes on the wagons behind the closed cock will fail to respond to the driver's command. This happened in the "1953 Pennsylvania Railroad train wreck" involving the "Federal Express", a Pennsylvania Railroad train which became runaway while heading into Washington DC's Union Station, causing the train to crash into the passenger concourse and fall through the floor. Similarly, in the Gare de Lyon train accident, a valve was accidentally closed by the crew, reducing braking power.  There are a number of safeguards that are usually taken to prevent this sort of accident happening. Railroads have strict government-approved procedures for testing the air brake systems when making up trains in a yard or picking up cars en route. These generally involve connecting the air brake hoses, charging up the brake system, setting the brakes and manually inspecting the cars to ensure the brakes are applied, and then releasing the brakes and manually inspecting the cars to ensure the brakes are released. Particular attention is usually paid to the rearmost car of the train, either by manual inspection or via an automated end-of-train device, to ensure that brake pipe continuity exists throughout the entire train. When brake pipe continuity exists throughout the train, failure of the brakes to apply or release on one or more cars is an indication that the cars' triple valves are malfunctioning. Depending on the location of the air test, the repair facilities available, and regulations governing the number of inoperative brakes permitted in a train, the car may be set out for repair or taken to the next terminal where it can be repaired.

Standardisation.

The modern air brake is not identical with the original airbrake as there have been slight changes in the design of the triple valve, which are not completely compatible between versions, and which must therefore be introduced in phases. However, the basic air brakes used on railways worldwide are remarkably compatible.

European systems.

European railway air brakes include the Kunze-Knorr brake (invented by Georg Knorr and manufactured by Knorr-Bremse) and the Oerlikon. The working principle is the same as for the Westinghouse air brake. In the steam era, Britain's railways were divided – some using vacuum brakes and some using air brakes – but there was a gradual standardization on the vacuum brake. Some locomotives, e.g. on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, were dual-fitted so that they could work with either vacuum- or air-braked trains. In the diesel era, the process was reversed and British Railways switched from vacuum-braked to air-braked rolling stock in the 1960s.

Vacuum brakes.

The main competitor to the air brake is the vacuum brake, which operates on negative pressure. The vacuum brake is a little simpler than the air brake, with an ejector with no moving parts on steam engines or a mechanical or electrical "exhauster" on a diesel or electric locomotive replacing the air compressor. Disconnection taps at the ends of cars are not required as the loose hoses are sucked onto a mounting block.  However, the maximum pressure is limited to atmospheric pressure, so that all the equipment has to be much larger and heavier to compensate. This disadvantage is made worse at high altitude. The vacuum brake is also considerably slower acting in both applying and releasing the brake; this requires a greater level of skill and anticipation from the driver. Conversely, the vacuum brake had the advantage of gradual release long before the Westinghouse automatic air brake, which was originally only available in the direct-release form still common in freight service. A primary fault of vacuum brakes is the inability to easily find leaks. In a positive air system, a leak is quickly found due to the escaping pressurized air; discovering a vacuum leak is more difficult, although it is easier to repair when found because a piece of rubber (for example) can just be tied around the leak and will be firmly held there by the vacuum.  Electro-vacuum brakes have also been used with considerable success on South African electric multiple unit trains. Despite requiring larger and heavier equipment as stated above, the performance of the electro-vacuum brake approached that of contemporary electro-pneumatic brakes. However, their use has not been repeated.

External links.

Information Patents

A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on April 13, 1869. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted.

Samočinná tlaková brzda je především používána na železnici jako základní provozní brzda vlaků a v některých případech i posunujících dílů. Brzdu vynalezl George Westinghouse ve Spojených státech roku 1869 speciálně pro drážní provoz. 5. března 1872 obdržel na svůj vynález ve Spojených státech patent.


Club career.

Youth career.

Born in Helsingborg, Sweden, Kačaniklić played for a local team until he joined from Swedish club Helsingborg, alongside his brother, when he was ten. Kačaniklić joined Liverpool from Swedish club Helsingborg in the summer of 2007, where he was assigned in the Academy. It came after when Kačaniklić was scouted while playing for Sweden U16. During his progress, the club’s U18 Manager Hughie McAuley said: "Alex is a talented player and has already played at reserve team level. He is a naturally gifted footballer who is very quick. He crosses really good balls and can also be effective on the right wing when he cuts inside and scores goals. I’m looking forward to seeing him make more progress."  He scored "a wonderful effort" against Arsenal's youth team in the 2008–09 FA Youth Cup Final. Two years later, Kačaniklić graduated from the academy to the club’s reserves, where he was featured under John McMahon. It was reported in February 2010 that Kačaniklić could get a chance in Liverpool’s first team football ahead of the UEFA Europa League match. But he never made it to the starting line-up. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Kačaniklić was offered a two–year contract with the club.  He moved on to Fulham in August 2010, together with Lauri Dalla Valle, as part of the deal in which Fulham's Paul Konchesky joined Liverpool. After leaving Liverpool, Kačaniklić reflected his time there, saying: "I left because I saw an opportunity to make a career for myself and develop as a player and a person. I had some really good years at Liverpool and they helped me a lot and England is the country where I want to play, so it was an easy decision to leave Sweden. It is difficult moving so young. It is a different lifestyle in England compared to Sweden and I left all the comforts I had at home, in terms of my friends and school. But having my family here made it so much easier and I am so grateful to them for that."

Fulham.

After almost two years with the Fulham Reserves, Kačaniklić was an unused substitute as Fulham drew with Sunderland on 19 November 2011. He made his Fulham debut on 30 March 2012, coming on as a substitute for the injured Pavel Pogrebnyak after 35 minutes. He almost scored a goal, as a clipped shot was parried by Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy and hit the crossbar. He was praised by Martin Jol in his post-match press conference. He made his first start for Fulham in an away match against Bolton Wanderers on 7 April 2012. Fulham won the match 0–3, and Kačaniklić was subbed off after 88 minutes for fellow Academy graduate Marcello Trotta, who made his Premier League debut for Fulham. Shortly before the match, Jol confirmed that Fulham would offer Kačaniklić a new contract. In a 1–0 win over Liverpool on 1 May 2012, Kačaniklić set up the only goal of the game when "he was a constant threat to Liverpool’s backline, especially in the first half, and certainly played his part in the goal when John Arne Riise’s cross hit him before rebounding off Martin Škrtel into the back of the net". Following this, Kačaniklić received a handful first team appearances, result in him making four appearances at the end of the 2011–12 season.  Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Kačaniklić signed a new two-year deal with the option of a third year to stay at Craven Cottage. It came after when he was linked a move away from the club. Kačaniklić scored his first goal for Fulham in the 5–0 drubbing at home against Norwich on the opening day of the 2012–13 season. Since the start of the season, he became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. Kačaniklić had a good start to the season, assisting both of Dimitar Berbatov's goals on 15 September 2012 against West Bromwich Albion, resulting a 3–0 win for Fulham. He scored a header at Arsenal on 10 November 2012 in a 3–3 draw. Kačaniklić then scored the winner in Fulham's 2–1 victory away to West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day. However, injuries and competitions in the midfield positions soon led him losing his first team place and appeared on the substitute bench, resulting out on loan to Burnley. After being recalled on 18 April 2013, Kačaniklić made his first appearance for Fulham two days later, starting the whole game before being substituted in the 85th minutes, in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal. Two weeks later on 4 May 2013, he set up a goal for Bryan Ruiz, who went to score twice, in a 4–2 loss against Reading. Kačaniklić then scored his fourth goal of the season, as well as, setting up the club’s third goal of the game, in a 3–0 win over Swansea City on the last game of the season. After the match, he was named Sky Sports’ Team of the Week. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Kačaniklić went on to make thirty appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.  However at the start of the 2013–14 season, Kačaniklić suffered a hamstring injury that saw him missed the opening game of the season against Sunderland. It wasn’t until on 24 August 2013 when he made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minutes, in a 3–1 loss against Arsenal. Following this, Kačaniklić was involved in a lot of playing time for the side. After sitting out of the first team for two matches, he returned to the starting line-up, coming on as a 80th minutes as a substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Southampton on 26 October 2013. In a follow–up, Kačaniklić scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Manchester United. He then set up two goals in two matches between on 8 December 2013 and 14 December 2013. On 23 January 2014, Kačaniklić signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Fulham until June 2015. However, Kačaniklić soon found his playing time reduced later in the 2013–14 season, due to being placed on the substitute bench. As a result, the club were later relegated to the Championship after losing 4–1 to Stoke City. Sky Sports said about his performance, saying: "Kacaniklic hasn't fared much better, with his most noteworthy act all season coming when he scored a consolation with his side three-goals down at home to Manchester United." At the end of the 2013–14 season, Kačaniklić made twenty–nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions.  In the 2014–15 season, Kačaniklić made one appearances for the side before joining FC Copenhagen by the end of August. After being recalled by Fulham following his loan spell at FC Copenhagen ended, his first appearance for the side since August came on 10 January 2015, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minutes, in a 1–0 draw against Cardiff City. Seven days later on 17 January 2015, Kačaniklić scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Reading. Following this, he regained his first team place for Fulham and appeared in the starting line-up, Kačaniklić scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Huddersfield Town on 23 March 2015. However, injuries continued to struck him on two occasions, including one for the remaining matches of the 2014–15 season. Despite this, he went on to make sixteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions in the 2014–15 season.  In the 2015–16 season, Kačaniklić scored on his first appearance of the season, in a 1–0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in the first round of the League Cup. Kačaniklić then scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–2 win over Reading on 24 October 2015. He later scored two more goals for the side later in the season against Birmingham City and Rotherham United. However, he, once again, found himself in and out of the first team throughout the 2015–16 season, due to the club’s change of management. Kačaniklić also faced concern with injuries along the way. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. Following this, Kačaniklić were among four players to be released by the club upon expiry of his contract.

Loan Spells from Fulham.

On 30 January 2012, Kačaniklić joined Championship club Watford on a youth loan until the end of the season. He made his debut the next day, starting the whole game before being substituted in the 74th minutes and set up two goals, in a 2–0 away win against Millwall. In a follow–up match, Kačaniklić set up the opening goal for John Eustace, who went on to score twice, in a 2–1 win over Barnsley. Kačaniklić scored his first goal in a 3–2 home win against Burnley on 3 March 2012. After a series of impressive displays and becoming a first team regular for Watford, Kačaniklić was recalled by his parent club, Fulham, on 27 March 2012.  On 1 March 2013, Kačaniklić joined Championship side Burnley on loan until the end of the 2012–2013 season, and was given the number 19 shirt. He made his Burnley debut against Charlton Athletic on 2 March 2013, playing the full 90 minutes and setting up the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win for Burnley. Kačaniklić was featured in the first team for the next four matches before losing his place by the beginning of April. He was recalled by Fulham on 18 April 2013. By the time Kačaniklić was recalled, he made six appearances for the side.  Kačaniklić signed on a season-long loan for Copenhagen on 1 September 2014 after signing a contract extension until 2016 with Fulham. He made his Copenhagen debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Aalborg on 13 September 2014. Five days later on 18 September 2014, Kačaniklić made his European debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win over HJK Helsinki. He scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against SønderjyskE on 27 September 2014. Kačaniklić’s second goal came on 19 October 2014, in a 1–0 win over Randers. After missing two matches due to an injury, he returned to the starting line-up for the side, playing 68 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw against SønderjyskE on 2 November 2014. After playing 13 matches, scoring 2 goals in the autumn 2014, on 15 December 2014, Fulham took advantage of an option in the loan deal, making him return to London.

Nantes.

On 15 June 2016, it was announced that Kačaniklić had signed a four-year deal with Nantes on a free transfer following his release by Fulham.  After missing the opening game of the season, Kačaniklić made his FC Nantes debut, coming on as a substitute for Jules Iloki in the 23rd minutes, and played for the rest of the match, as they lost 1–0 against AS Monaco on 20 August 2016. It wasn’t until on 21 September 2016 when he made his first start for the club, playing 75 minutes, in a 0–0 draw against Saint-Étienne. However, Kačaniklić found himself placed on the substitute bench, as a result of a pecking order in the midfield competitions. By December, he was dropped from the first team and appeared once over the next two months. With a speculation over his FC Nantes’ future, Kačaniklić said he will stay at the club following talks with Manager Sérgio Conceição. However, Kačaniklić continued to remain on the substitute bench at times for the rest of the 2016–17 season. Despite this, he received more playing time between 11 March 2017 and 16 April 2017 and later contributed two assists: the first one came against Montpellier on 11 March 2017 and the second one came against Saint-Étienne on 9 April 2017. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Kačaniklić went on to make nineteen appearances in all competitions.  In the 2017–18 season, Kačaniklić started the first two league matches of the season before suffering an injury in the first half and was substituted, in a 1–0 loss against Marseille on 12 August 2017. As a result, Kačaniklić was sidelined for two matches before returning to the substitute bench against Montpellier on 9 September 2017. However, his return was short–lived when he suffered an injury once again. It wasn’t until on 25 October 2017 when Kačaniklić returned to the starting line-up and played 60 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 loss against Tours FC in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue. Even after making a return, he continued to spent the rest of the year on the sidelined, due to injuries and placed on the substitute bench. With his first team opportunities limited at FC Nantes, Kačaniklić stayed at the club despite being linked a move away from the January transfer window. It wasn’t until on 17 January 2018 when he made his first appearance in almost three months, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse. Kačaniklić then appeared in the next four matches, including setting up one of the goals, in a 3–0 win over Guingamp on 27 January 2018. Following this, he returned back to the substitute bench for the remaining matches of the 2017–18 season.  The 2018–19 season saw Kačaniklić made no appearance for the side. It was announced on 28 December 2018 that he agreed the termination of his contract with Nantes. Shortly after leaving the club, Kačaniklić spoke out about his teammate Emiliano Sala.

Hammarby IF.

On 9 February 2019, Kačaniklić signed a three-year contract with Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan, marking his return to Sweden for the first time in twelve years. Upon joining the club, he said: "It's nice that it's finally done and I'm extremely happy to be here."  Kačaniklić made his Hammarby IF debut in the opening game of the season against IF Elfsborg, where he started and played 71 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw. However, Kačaniklić suffered an injury that saw him sidelined for three matches. His bad start to his Hammarby IF’s career led the Swedish media to debate whether Kačaniklić is a flop. It wasn’t until on 5 May 2019 when Kačaniklić returned from injury, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–2 win over Örebro. Since returning to the first team from injury, he quickly regained his first team place for the side. His first goal in Hammarby came at home against Falkenbergs FF on 7 July 2019, in a 6–2 win, where he also scored two more and assisted to one. It was Kačaniklić's first hat-trick at senior level. Following the match, Aftonbladet named him Allsvenskan’s Team of the Week for Round 14. Two weeks later on 22 July 2019, he scored his fourth goal for the club, in a 5–2 win over Elfsborg, followed up by scoring the club’s second goal of the game, in a 6–1 win over AFC Eskilstuna. His performance for the side had convincingly led the Swedish media to call him a flop earlier in the season. His goal scoring form continued throughout August, scoring against Helsingborgs, GIF Sundsvall and IFK Luleå. His performance attracted from Eredivisie champions, Ajax and Turkish side Beşiktaş. Amid to the transfer rumours, Kačaniklić was sidelined on two occasions throughout September. Despite this, he returned to the starting line-up and later played a role, scoring victories against title contenders, Djurgårdens and Malmö to keep Hammarby IF’s hopes alive. On the last game of the season against BK Häcken, Kačaniklić scored the club’s opening goal of the game and then set up the club’s second goal, in a 4–1 win but was unable to win the Allsvenskan, due to different results, leading Djurgårdens becoming champions and Hammarby finishing third place. In his first season at Hammarby IF, he went on to make twenty–six appearances and scoring eleven times in all competitions.

International career.

Youth Career.

Kačaniklić has played international football for Sweden in UEFA European football championship games at under-17 and under-19 levels.  In February 2011, Kačaniklić was called up by Sweden U21. However, he was replaced the following month by Viktor Lundberg.

Senior Career.

On 15 August 2012, Kačaniklić was called up to the Swedish national football team replacing Emir Bajrami for the match against Brazil. Kačaniklić previously considered to be shortlisted for the Sweden squad ahead of the UEFA Euro 2012, but didn’t make the cut. He was introduced as a substitute with 25 minutes left, coming on for Christian Wilhelmsson. Sweden lost the friendly match to Brazil on a scoreline of 0–3.  On 12 October 2012, Kačaniklić played his first competitive international, in the 2014 World Cup UEFA Group C qualifiers. In the match against the Faroe Islands he was introduced in the 62nd minute, with the result then being 1–0 for the opposition. Only three minutes later, after a pass from Zlatan Ibrahimović, Kačaniklić scored his first goal for his country, levelling the score to 1–1. Ten minutes further into the game Ibrahimović netted as well and the game ended 2–1 in favour of Sweden. Four days later on 16 October 2012, Sweden played again in the same competition, this time against Germany. Kačaniklić again started as a substitute but after Germany completely outplayed Sweden in the first half, Kačaniklić and Kim Källström were introduced by Swedish coach Erik Hamrén. The score was then 3–0 for Germany, and in the 57th minute things would get even worse for Sweden as Mesut Özil made it 4–0. After that however, Sweden managed to do the unimaginable, and with great performances from half-time substitutes Källström and Kačaniklić, they scored four goals and the game ended 4–4. Kačaniklić, who set up Johan Elmander for his goal which made the score 4–3, received praise in various media for his effort.  The following year, Kačaniklić’s first appearance for the national side came on 6 February 2013, playing 77 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–2 loss against Argentina. He then scored his second goal for the national side when Zlatan Ibrahimović made a perfect pass to allow him easily nod the ball, in a 1–0 win against then named Macedonia on 3 June 2013. Four months later on 15 October 2013, Kačaniklić scored his third goal for the national side, in a 5–3 loss against Germany. A month later against Portugal in the play–offs round, he played in both legs, as Sweden lost 4–2 on aggregate. After the match, Kačaniklić said he and his teammates were sad over the loss. Three years later, Kačaniklić was shortlisted for the national side to potentially be in the squad ahead of UEFA Euro 2016 but didn’t make the cut.  After a six year absence, Kačaniklić was called up to the Swedish squad for the training tour in early 2020. He made his return on the pitch in a 1–0 friendly win against Moldova on 9 January 2020. Three days later on 12 January 2020, Kačaniklić captained the national side for the first time, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over Kosovo.

Personal life.

Kačaniklić's older brother Robin (born 1988) is a midfielder. Their father was born in Sweden to immigrants from SR Macedonia, a part of SFR Yugoslavia, of Serb descent. He also have a younger brother, Filip. His family hails from Čučer.  Kačaniklić's father wanted him to play for the Serbian national football team, but he chose to represent Sweden. Growing up, Kačaniklić idolised Rivaldo and later Cristiano Ronaldo. He also grew up supporting FC Barcelona, citing the club’s style of play. In addition to speaking Swedish, Kačaniklić can speak England and learned French during his time at FC Nantes.

Alexander Kačaniklić (; born 13 August 1991) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan. He normally operates on the left wing but can also play as a central midfielder.

Alexander Kačaniklić (srbskou cyrilicí Александар Качаниклић; * 13. srpna 1991, Helsingborg, Švédsko) je švédský fotbalista a reprezentant srbského původu, v současnosti hráč klubu FC Nantes. V profesionálním fotbale debutoval v dresu anglického Fulhamu. Hraje obvykle na pozici levého záložníka.