1. Skip to navigation
  2. Skip to content
  3. Skip to sidebar

Tom Stepleton's Snapshots

Go to page:
  1. gigapan spied

    gigapan spied by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Carnegie Mellon University 2010 Commencement Ceremony by Carnegie Mellon

    I see you there, Gigapan guy...

    0 comments

  2. Inexpert punting

    Inexpert punting by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan St. John's College, Cambridge, view northwest from the chapel tower by Tom Stepleton

    Heading out from the St. John's College punt dock, evidently with navigational help from passengers.

    0 comments

  3. Ely Cathedral

    Ely Cathedral by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan St. John's College, Cambridge, view northwest from the chapel tower by Tom Stepleton

    Ely Cathedral, 14.52 miles from where this photo was taken.

    0 comments

  4. How this Gigapan was made

    How this Gigapan was made by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Evening falls on Montreal by Tom Stepleton

    I embedded a photo of the Gigapan system at work taking pictures for this Gigapan.

    0 comments

  5. Présent! pour le Québec

    Présent! pour le Québec by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Evening falls on Montreal by Tom Stepleton

    This Gigapan was taken shortly before the Canadian federal election of 2008. Election signs like this one for Bloc Québécois leader Giles Duceppe seemed to be on every lamppost in Montreal

    0 comments

  6. Montreal Biosphère

    Montreal Biosphère by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Evening falls on Montreal by Tom Stepleton

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Biosphere Will open in a new tab or window

    0 comments

  7. Yeah, Toast!

    Yeah, Toast! by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Interior of Entrance, with Admissions, Main Staircase, and Monster Slide by Tom Stepleton

    Sì, toast!
    はい、トースト！
    Ja, Toastbrot!
    Sim, torrada!

    0 comments

  8. B-17 Ball Turret

    B-17 Ball Turret by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Air Power Gallery (World War II Gallery), National Museum of the US Air Force by Tom Stepleton

    Air Power Gallery, National Museum of the US Air Force.

    0 comments

  9. Turtles

    Turtles by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Interior with Whale, Turtle Tank, and Forest Jungle Gym-like Sculpture by Tom Stepleton

    Live turtles in a giant tank at the City Museum, St. Louis, MO.

    0 comments

  10. Gargoyle

    Gargoyle by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Interior of Entrance, with Admissions, Main Staircase, and Monster Slide by Tom Stepleton

    Gargoyle in the City Museum, St. Louis, MO.

    0 comments

  11. Stone Temple Pilot

    Stone Temple Pilot by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Architecture Hall by Tom Stepleton

    This piece of architectural ornament looks like some kind of Mesoamerican aviator.

    0 comments

  12. Frilled lizard mosaic

    Frilled lizard mosaic by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Main Staircase, Mezzanine by Tom Stepleton

    Frill-necked lizard mosaic made of industrial cast-offs, City Museum, St. Louis, MO.

    0 comments

  13. Lamp dragon

    Lamp dragon by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Main Staircase, Mezzanine by Tom Stepleton

    A concrete beast in the City Museum in St. Louis.

    0 comments

  14. World's Most Thrilling Slinky

    World's Most Thrilling Slinky by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum Entrance, Cabin, and MonstroCity by Tom Stepleton

    Ever crawled around inside a 4' wide Slinky suspended 50 feet above the ground? You can do it here.

    0 comments

  15. School Bus Faces Ten Story Drop

    School Bus Faces Ten Story Drop by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Rooftop, Construction in Progress by Tom Stepleton

    Good thing it's welded in place: the next stop for this bus is over 100 feet down!

    0 comments

  16. M.A.N.T.I.S.

    M.A.N.T.I.S. by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Rooftop, Construction in Progress by Tom Stepleton

    Museum Adds Nifty Topper: Insect Sculpture

    0 comments

  17. Organ

    Organ by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan City Museum, Ten Story Shaft with Slides by Tom Stepleton

    An organ deep in a shaft.

    0 comments

  18. CAUTION: Quick Action Bomb Doors

    CAUTION: Quick Action Bomb Doors by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Convair B-36J Peacemaker bomb bay by Tom Stepleton

    Placard in a B-36J Peacemaker bomb bay.

    0 comments

  19. LET L-13 Blaník canopy release handle

    LET L-13 Blaník canopy release handle by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Pull this handle to jettison the canopy: clearly, only for dire emergencies!

    0 comments

  20. LET L-13 Blaník oxygen flow indicator

    LET L-13 Blaník oxygen flow indicator by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Supplemental oxygen for pilots starts to be a serious consideration above about 10,000 feet. This is seldom a concern anywhere in America from the Great Plains east.

    0 comments

  21. LET L-13 Blaník altimeter

    LET L-13 Blaník altimeter by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    .

    0 comments

  22. LET L-13 Blaník yaw string and air vent

    LET L-13 Blaník yaw string and air vent by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    This sailplane lacks an inclinometer, so the yaw string is the only indicator of coordinated flight (aside from the seat of your pants). Happily, it is a very effective indicator.

    0 comments

  23. LET L-13 Blaník tow release handle and critical airspeeds placard

    LET L-13 Blaník tow release handle and critical airspeeds placard by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Pull the yellow handle to release the tow rope; if memory serves, you're supposed to pull it twice in the Blaník as a precaution. Behind the handle is a placard of some critical speeds; note easier-to-read homemade placard at left. "CG HOOK DISCONNECTED" refers to one of the places to attach the tow rope to the glider, the hook at the glider's center of gravity. This hook is not normally used for aero tows and is disabled in this glider.

    0 comments

  24. LET L-13 Blaník magnetic compass

    LET L-13 Blaník magnetic compass by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    The magnetic variation at the gliderport is between 0 and 1 degrees, so this compass is nearly accurate most of the time. People here probably navigate by looking outside of the airplane, though.

    0 comments

  25. LET L-13 Blaník airspeed indicator

    LET L-13 Blaník airspeed indicator by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    This airspeed indicator's needle can rotate over 360 degrees, beyond which the inner scale must be used to tell the airspeed. I've only ever seen these "spiral" airspeed indicators on gliders---never on powered aircraft.

    0 comments

  26. Spoiler handle

    Spoiler handle by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Pull to deploy the spoilers.

    0 comments

  27. Flap handle

    Flap handle by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    This glider club places a tennis ball on the flap handle to make it easier to distinguish from the spoiler handle below. You wouldn't want to move the wrong one by mistake.

    0 comments

  28. LET L-13 Blaník G meter

    LET L-13 Blaník G meter by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    The Blaník is certified for some aerobatic maneuvers. This instrument indicates how many Gs you are experiencing (notice that it's one G at rest).

    0 comments

  29. Not my fault!

    Not my fault! by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    This happened when someone ran into my parked car. Technically, the car is "totaled" by this.

    0 comments

  30. Photographer's 1997 Nissan Sentra

    Photographer's 1997 Nissan Sentra by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    The photographer's busted up old car. Not long for this world...

    0 comments

  31. Avgas fuel tank, Silvercreek Glider Club

    Avgas fuel tank, Silvercreek Glider Club by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Contains 100 octane low-lead avgas for the towplane. In a way, glider flying allows seven pilots to share the contents of this tank efficiently.

    0 comments

  32. Schweizer 1-23 glider

    Schweizer 1-23 glider by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan LET L-13 Blaník Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    See a Gigapan of this glider's cockpit here:

    www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=7632

    0 comments

  33. Schweizer 1-23 landing checklist placard

    Schweizer 1-23 landing checklist placard by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    A fairly standard glider landing checklist built on the usual USTALL mnemonic skeleton.

    0 comments

  34. Schweizer 1-23 yaw string

    Schweizer 1-23 yaw string by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Hard to see it here. Arguably the glider's most sensitive and important instrument.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaw_string Will open in a new tab or window

    0 comments

  35. Schweizer 1-23 manufacturer's plate

    Schweizer 1-23 manufacturer's plate by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Built with pride in upstate New York.

    0 comments

  36. Schweizer 1-23 takeoff checklist placard

    Schweizer 1-23 takeoff checklist placard by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    A fairly standard glider checklist built on the usual ABCDE mnemonic skeleton.

    0 comments

  37. Schweizer 1-23 dive brake handle

    Schweizer 1-23 dive brake handle by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Rotate down and pull back to release the dive brakes, which reduce the gliding performance of the glider dramatically. This control is operated much like a powered airplane's throttle during approach and landing.

    0 comments

  38. Schweizer 1-23 control stick

    Schweizer 1-23 control stick by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    Actuates the ailerons and elevator of the 1-23 through a mechanical linkage. Note push-to-talk switch at top.

    0 comments

  39. Schweizer 1-23 variometer

    Schweizer 1-23 variometer by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    A sensitive vertical speed indicator. This model is driven exclusively by air pressure and is less sensitive and accurate than the electric variometer above.

    0 comments

  40. Schweizer 1-23 electric variometer

    Schweizer 1-23 electric variometer by Tom Stepleton from the GigaPan Schweizer 1-23H-15 Glider Cockpit, Silvercreek Glider Club, New Douglas, Illinois (near St. Louis) by Tom Stepleton

    A sensitive vertical speed indicator---very handy for sussing out whether air is rising or sinking. This electronic model is more accurate than the mechanical model below. It generates tones through a speaker that allow the pilot to know the vertical speed without looking at the instrument.

    0 comments

Go to page: