NEOPLAN Tourliner

NEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive industry company which manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. Neoplan is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH which itself is a part of MAN SE. the company is known for its innovative futuristic designs and technical expertise.

The company was founded by Gottlod Auwarter in Stuttgart in 1935, and manufactured bodywork for bus and truck chassis. From the beginning, the design of the buses produced was stylistic. After World War II, an all steel body design was developed, a rarity at that time. The company became known for its technical expertise, and by 1953 had moved away from manufacturing buses on truck chassis, to partial monocoque design with a steel tube skeleton, providing the structural support, enhanced by welded side panels. The engine was moved to the rear, and the running gear and body functioned as one. In 1957, air suspension was made available, greatly improving the ride of the bus for the passenger.

One of the products from Neoplan GmbH is Neoplan Tourliner. The Tourliner provides high comfort on long tours. Special value was placed by our designers on the arrangement of the interior. The spacious interior pampers your passengers with ample space and freedom of movement. The cabin presents an impressive amount of space from the cockpit, through the passenger compartment with comfort seats, right up to the high bus headliner. During the day your passengers enjoy natural brightness. Large-area windows ensure the cabin is flooded with light and permit long views into the travel environment.

On the Tourliner everything has been designed for long journeys. Thanks to the considerable leg and elbow room your passengers can have a really good stretch, read, play, work on their laptop computer or simply dream a little. The Tourliner comes in three different lengths. Modular design and innovative production technology make the sturdy coach as clever as it is economical.

The Tourliner offers superb comfort on long tours for a very reasonable price. Particular importance has been attached to the interior fittings.

The interior plays a major role in making passengers feel at home. Even at first glance the Tourliner already conveys a feeling of ample space. From the cockpit through to the passenger compartment and seats up to the interior ceiling a fantastically spacious atmosphere is created.

If you go on a tour in a coach you need the right fittings. The Tourliner certainly has the right name since it is fitted with everything you need for long tours. 

The Tourliner is always a welcome sight since it’s a pleasure to look at both inside and out. The passenger is happy to climb aboard and to enjoy the spacious interior design. On board he can immediately relax since Tourliner comfort is always state-of-the-art.

It offers the driver sophisticated technical functions. And in tricky situations he can depend on the good service of the electronic EBS brake system. The electronic stability program (ESP) is available as an optional extra. The intelligent on-board electronics, modern running gear and the independent wheel suspension on the front axle ensure superior driving comfort. Enjoy safe touring with the Tourliner – for long time. 

Source : NEOPLAN Buses GmbH

Indonesiaku sayang Indonesiaku malang

Siapa sih yang gak kenal sama negara kepulauan terbesar di dunia? Negara dengan garis pantai terpanjang di dunia? Negara yang menjadi jujugan penjajah karena kekayaan rempah-rempahnya? Yah, Indonesia. Negara tercinta kita. Kita patut bersyukur karena dilahirkan di Negeri ini. Dengan segala kekayaan alamnya, kesuburannya dan kekayaan budayanya kita seharusnya menjadi bangsa yang sangat besar, bahkan mungkin menjadi negara adidaya. Tapi, kenapa tidak? Adakah yang salah dengan negara ini? Untuk menjawab pertanyaan itu, mungkin sangat relatif karena faktor kemajuan suatu bangsa ditentukan dari berbagai sudut. Tapi semua pasti setuju kalau salah satu faktor itu adalah kualitas sumber daya manusianya. Bukan hanya kualitas skill tapi juga kualitas moral. Bagaimana tidak, sejak era orde baru sampai era reformasi ini, korupsi masih merajalela bak virus yang siap menginfeksi siapa saja. Dari sini kita bisa menilai kualitas skill rakyat Indonesia. Mereka sangat ahli dalam urusan menggelap-gelapkan. Mereka sangat ahli dalam urusan suap-menyuap, bukan skill yang positif pastinya. Tapi bagaimana dengan kualitas moral kita? Nihil. Moral sebagian rakyat Indonesia menunjukkan keterbelakangan. Tengok saja kasus yang saat ini sedang hangat-hangatnya. Siapa lagi kalau bukan Gayus Tambunan. Pegawai pajak golongan III A yang bisa kaya raya dan mempunyai rumah mewah. Bagaimana bisa?? Disinilah kualitas skill menujukkan perannya. Tapi sayang kualitas skill (yang negatif)diikuti kualitas moral yang bahkan lebih dari sekedar terbelakang. Bagaimana seorang tahanan yang seharusnya mendekam dalam penjara bisa pelesir ke Bali bahkan ke luar negeri?? Jauh sebelum itu yang patut dipertanyakan bagaimana seorang Gayus bisa membawa lari sebegitu banyak uang dari kantor pajaknya?? Parahnya lagi hal ini dilakukan oleh pegawai yang seharusnya menunjukkan kredibilitas tinggi karena digaji jauh di atas rata-rata gaji pegawai di negeri ini. Sungguh suatu mental yang supraterbelakang, lebih dari sekedar terbelakang. Dari sini mungkin timbul pertanyaan, bagaimana seorang tahanan bisa keluar jalan-jalan? sementara untuk keluar tahanan saja, bagi seorang tahanan, adalah hal yang sangat sulit dilakukan, apalagi keluar negeri, jika tanpa bantuan dari pihak luar dan dalam. Lagi-lagi kualitas moral yang patut dipertanyakan, tidak hanya pada seorang Gayus tapi kepada seluruh elemen yang seharusnya menjaga agar seorang tahanan tetap berada di dalam sel dan di dalam negeri. Tapi sebuah pepatah mengatakan uang adalah segalanya. Uang bisa membutakan mata hati. Uang bisa merontokkan sumpah setia untuk mengabdi kepada bangsa. Dari situ kita bisa membuat kesimpulan bahwa jika seseorang dalam tahanan yang mempunyai banyak uang pasti akan bisa pelesir ke Bali dan ke luar negeri seperti Gayus. Bukan tidak mungkin akan muncul Gayus-Gayus yang lain yang akan semakin memperparah keterbelakangan mental bangsa kita. Jadi untuk menjawab pertanyaan, bagaimana negara yang sebesar ini dan sekaya ini, menjadi bangsa yang miskin? Tanyalah diri kita sendiri. Bagaimanakah kualitas skill kita? Dan yang lebih penting lagi bagaimanakah kualitas moral kita? Berkualitaskah? Atau malah terbelakangkah?
Semoga tulisan ini bisa menjadi renungan bagi kita semua.

The Engines and Gearbox of Formula One cars

The engine and transmission of a modern Formula One car are some of the most highly stressed pieces of machinery on the planet, and the competition to have the most power on the grid is still intense.

Traditionally, the development of racing engines has always held to the dictum of the great automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche that the perfect race car crosses the finish line in first place and then falls to pieces. Although this is no longer strictly true - regulations now require engines to last more than one race weekend - designing modern Formula One engines remains a balancing act between the power that can be extracted and the need for just enough durability.

Engine power outputs in Formula One racing are also a fascinating insight into how far the sport has moved on. In the 1950s Formula One cars were managing specific power outputs of around 100 bhp / litre (about what a modern 'performance' road car can manage now). That figure rose steadily until the arrival of the 'turbo age' of 1.5 litre turbo engines, some of which were producing anything up to 750 bhp / litre. Then, once the sport returned to normal aspiration in 1989 that figure fell back, before steadily rising again. The 'power battle' of the last few years saw outputs creep back towards the 1000 bhp barrier, some teams producing more than 300 bhp / litre in 2005, the final year of 3 litre V10 engines. Since 2006, the regulations have required the use of 2.4 litre V8 engines, with power outputs falling around 20 percent.

Revving to a limited 18,000 RPM, a modern Formula One engine will consume a phenomenal 650 litres of air every second, with race fuel consumption typically around the 75 l/100 km (4 mpg) mark. Revving at such massive speeds equates to an accelerative force on the pistons of nearly 9000 times gravity. Unsurprisingly, engine-related failures remain one of the most common causes of retirements in races.

Modern Formula One engines owe little except their fundamental design of cylinders, pistons and valves to road-car engines. The engine is a stressed component within the car, bolting to the carbon fibre 'tub' and having the transmission and rear suspension bolted to it in turn. Therefore it has to be enormously strong. A conflicting demand is that it should be light, compact and with its mass in as low a position as possible, to help lower the car's centre of gravity and to enable the height of rear bodywork to be minimised.

The gearboxes of modern Formula One cars are now highly automated with drivers selecting gears via paddles fitted behind the steering wheel. The 'sequential' gearboxes used are very similar in principle to those of motorbikes, allowing gear changes to be made far faster than with the traditional ‘H’ gate selector, with the gearbox selectors operated electrically. Despite such high levels of technology, fully automatic transmission systems, and gearbox-related wizardry such as launch control, are illegal - a measure designed to keep costs down and place more emphasis on driver skill. Transmissions - most teams run seven-speed units - bolt directly to the back of the engine.

Mindful of the massive cost of these ultra high-tech powertrains, the FIA introduced new regulations in 2005 limiting each car to one engine per two Grand Prix weekends, with 10-place grid penalties for those breaking the rule. From 2008, a similar policy was applied to gearboxes, each having to last four race weekends. 2009 saw the introduction of even more stringent engine rules, with drivers limited to eight engines per season. On top of these measures, a freeze on engine development imposed at the end of the 2006 season means teams are unable to alter the fundamentals of their engines’ design.

Bali Akan Punya Kereta Api Wisata

Bali akan memiliki kereta api sebagai transportasi massal jalur darat. Kereta api tersebut akan mendukung sektor pariwisata Bali. Hal tersebut ditandai dengan penandatanganan MoU antara Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kementerian Perhubungan, Pemerintah Provinsi Bali, dan PT Kereta Api Indonesia di Gedung Sapta Pesona Jakarta, Senin (27/12/2010).
"Transportasi udara kurang memadai untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pariwisata Bali," kata Menteri BUMN Mustafa Abubakar. Kereta api bisa membantu mengurangi tekanan pada jalan darat di Pulau Bali. Hal senada juga diungkapkan Menbudpar Jero Wacik. Menurut Jero, jalanan Bali Selatan saat ini sangat macet. Kemacetan menjadi makanan sehari-hari untuk kawasan yang padat tempat wisata dan hotel tersebut. Karena itu, kereta api menjadi solusi untuk mengatasi kemacetan di Bali. Kereta api juga menjadi daya tarik wisatawan domestik maupun asing. "Kereta api yang dikembangkan untuk pariwisata di Bali adalah yang pertama," kata Menteri Perhubungan Freddy Numberi.
Di Kalimantan, juga dikembangkan jalur kereta api namun tujuannya adalah untuk batu bara. Ia berharap jangka panjang proyek ini bisa ditiru daerah-daerah lain untuk mengembangkan pariwisata.
Selain itu, keadaan Bali Selatan yang menjadi pusat wisata dan tambang dollar sangat berbeda dengan Bali Utara yang masih banyak pengangguran. Dengan adanya kereta api yang akan menghubungkan Bali bagian selatan dengan bagian utara, maka terjadi pemerataan persebaran wisatawan.
Penandatanganan MoU dilakukan oleh Dirjen Pengembangan Destinasi Pariwisata Firmansyah Rahim, Dirjen Perkeretaapian Tunjung Henderawan, Gubernur Bali Made Mangku Pastika, dan Dirut PT KAI Ignasius Jonan.
Setelah MoU ditandatangani, akan dibentuk tim kerja untuk membahas tindak lanjut dan rencana aksi penyelenggaraan kereta api mulai Januari 2011. Jalur kereta api tersebut rencananya akan sepanjang 565 km mengelilingi Pulau Bali. Proyek ini diharapkan rampung di tahun 2015.

What's news in 2011 Formula One World Championship?

Published with permission from the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.

• Adjustable rear wings

Under new moveable bodywork regulations, drivers of suitably equipped cars can adjust the rear wing from the cockpit, altering its angle of incidence through a set range. (The moveable front wing, used in 2010, has been dropped.) The system’s availability is electronically governed - it can be used at any time in practice and qualifying, but during the race can only be activated when a driver is less than one second behind another car at pre-determined points on the track. The system is then deactivated once the driver brakes. In combination with KERS, it is designed to boost overtaking. Also like KERS, it isn’t compulsory.

• No F-ducts or double diffusers

Any system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited from 2011 - that means no F-ducts. Tightening of the regulations on stepped floors means double diffusers in their original sense are also banned.

• KERS

A badge of honour for some, a bugbear for others on its debut in 2009, KERS - or Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems - have been reintroduced in 2011 after the teams mutually agreed to suspend their use in 2010. KERS take the waste energy generated under braking and turn it into additional power. This is then made available to the driver in fixed quantities per lap via a steering wheel-mounted ‘boost button’. The systems are essentially the same as those seen in ’09, with no increase in the maximum permitted power (though that could change in subsequent seasons). The challenge for the engineers this time round is packaging. Last time KERS was run, refuelling was legal. Now, with it banned, fuel tanks are larger and finding room to accommodate battery packs etc is not as easy. Hence don’t be surprised if bodywork has grown in places, relative to 2010. On the plus side, minimum car weight has been upped by 20kg to 640kg, meaning larger drivers don’t pay the weight-distribution penalty they once did in a KERS-equipped car.

• Wheel tethers

In response to several stray wheels over the course of the 2010 season, teams must now place a second tether on every wheel to improve safety. The two tethers must be contained in separate suspension members.

• Tyres

Following Bridgestone’s decision to withdraw at the end of 2010 after 13 years in Formula One, Pirelli take over as the sport’s sole tyre supplier. The Italian company, last part of F1 in 1991, will provide all teams with rubber for the next three years.

Tyre allocation has been reduced for 2011, with 11 rather than 14 sets of dry-weather tyres available to each driver per race weekend. Drivers will receive three sets (two prime, one option) to use in P1 and P2 and must return one set after each session. A further eight sets will then be at their disposal for the rest of the weekend, although one set of each specification must be handed back before qualifying.

If a driver fails to use both specifications of dry-weather tyres during a (dry) race, they will be excluded from the results. If a (dry) race is suspended and can’t be restarted, and a driver has failed to use both specifications, 30 seconds will be added to the driver’s race time.

• Gearboxes

As part of the sport’s cost-saving and environmental initiatives, gearboxes now need to last for five race weekends, instead of the previous four.

• 107% qualifying rule

During the first phase of qualifying, any driver who fails to set a lap within 107 percent of the fastest Q1 time will not be allowed to start the race. However, in exceptional circumstances, which could include a driver setting a suitable time during practice, the stewards may permit the car to start.

• Team curfew

A clampdown on long working hours has been introduced, with a curfew on team personnel connected with the operation of the cars. They will not be allowed into the circuit between midnight and 6am when practice is scheduled to start at 10am the following day, or between 1am and 7am when practice starts at 11am. Each team is permitted four individual exceptions to this rule during the season.

• Penalties

Stewards now have the power to impose a wider range of penalties for driving and other rule transgressions. Added to their armoury are time penalties, the right to exclude drivers from race results, or suspend them from subsequent events.

• Team orders

The clause in the sporting regulations banning team orders has been removed.

Source : www.formula1.com