The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. West Germany and France reached an agreement on 29 May 1969 after the British withdrew from the project on 10 April 1969. European collaborative aerospace manufacturer Airbus Industrie was formally created on 18 December 1970 to develop and produce it. The prototype first flew on 28 October 1972.
The first twin-engine widebody airliner, the A300 typically seats 247 passengers in two classes over a range of 5,375 to 7,500 km (2,900 to 4,050 nmi). Initial variants are powered by General Electric CF6-50 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D turbofans and have a three-crew flight deck. The improved A300-600 has a two-crew cockpit and updated CF6-80C2 or PW4000 engines; it made its first flight on 8 July 1983 and entered service later that year. The A300 is the basis of the smaller A310 (first flown in 1982) and was adapted in a freighter version. Its cross section was retained for the larger four-engined A340 (1991) and the larger twin-engined A330 (1992). It is also the basis for the oversize Beluga transport (1994).
Launch customer Air France introduced the type on 23 May 1974. After limited demand initially, sales took off as the type was proven in early service, beginning three decades of steady orders. It has a similar capacity to the Boeing 767-300, introduced in 1986, but lacked the 767-300ER range. During the 1990s, the A300 became popular with cargo aircraft operators, as both passenger airliner conversions and as original builds. Production ceased in July 2007 after 561 deliveries. As of March 2023, there were 228 A300 family aircraft in commercial service.
Origins:
During the 1960s, European aircraft manufacturers such as Hawker Siddeley and the British Aircraft Corporation, based in the UK, and Sud Aviation of France, had ambitions to build a new 200-seat airliner for the growing civil aviation market. While studies were performed and considered, such as a stretched twin-engine variant of the Hawker Siddeley Trident and an expanded development of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) One-Eleven, designated the BAC Two-Eleven, it was recognized that if each of the European manufacturers were to launch similar aircraft into the market at the same time, neither would achieve sales volume needed to make them viable.[2] In 1965, a British government study, known as the Plowden Report, had found British aircraft production costs to be between 10% and 20% higher than American counterparts due to shorter production runs, which was in part due to the fractured European market. To overcome this factor, the report recommended the pursuit of multinational collaborative projects between the region's leading aircraft manufacturers.[3]: 49 [4][5]: 2–13
European manufacturers were keen to explore prospective programs; the proposed 260-seat wide-body HBN 100 between Hawker Siddeley, Nord Aviation, and Breguet Aviation being one such example.[2][6]: 37–38 National governments were also keen to support such efforts amid a belief that American manufacturers could dominate the European Economic Community;[7] in particular, Germany had ambitions for a multinational airliner project to invigorate its aircraft industry, which had declined considerably following the Second World War.[3]: 49–50 During the mid-1960s, both Air France and American Airlines had expressed interest in a short-haul twin-engine wide-body aircraft, indicating a market demand for such an aircraft to be produced.[3][8] In July 1967, during a high-profile meeting between French, German, and British ministers, an agreement was made for greater cooperation between European nations in the field of aviation technology, and "for the joint development and production of an airbus".[2][9]: 34 The word airbus at this point was a generic aviation term for a larger commercial aircraft, and was considered acceptable in multiple languages, including French.[9]: 34
Shortly after the July 1967 meeting, French engineer Roger Béteille was appointed as the technical director of what would become the A300 program, while Henri Ziegler, chief operating office of Sud Aviation, was appointed as the general manager of the organization and German politician Franz Josef Strauss became the chairman of the supervisory board.[2] Béteille drew up an initial work share plan for the project, under which French firms would produce the aircraft's cockpit, the control systems, and lower-center portion of the fuselage, Hawker Siddeley would manufacture the wings, while German companies would produce the forward, rear and upper part of the center fuselage sections. Addition work included moving elements of the wings being produced in the Netherlands, and Spain producing the horizontal tail plane.[2][6]: 38
An early design goal for the A300 that Béteille had stressed the importance of was the incorporation of a high level of technology, which would serve as a decisive advantage over prospective competitors. As such, the A300 would feature the first use of composite materials of any passenger aircraft, the leading and trailing edges of the tail fin being composed of glass fibre reinforced plastic.[5]: 2–16 [10] Béteille opted for English as the working language for the developing aircraft, as well against using Metric instrumentation and measurements, as most airlines already had US-built aircraft.[10] These decisions were partially influenced by feedback from various airlines, such as Air France and Lufthansa, as an emphasis had been placed on determining the specifics of what kind of aircraft that potential operators were seeking. According to Airbus, this cultural approach to market research had been crucial to the company's long-term success.[10]
Workshare and redefinition:
On 26 September 1967, the British, French, and West German governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding to start development of the 300-seat Airbus A300.[6]: 38 [11]: 43 [12]: 57 At this point, the A300 was only the second major joint aircraft programme in Europe, the first being the Anglo-French Concorde.[9] Under the terms of the memorandum, Britain and France were each to receive a 37.5 per cent work share on the project, while Germany received a 25 per cent share. Sud Aviation was recognized as the lead company for A300, with Hawker Siddeley being selected as the British partner company.[2] At the time, the news of the announcement had been clouded by the British Government's support for the Airbus, which coincided with its refusal to back BAC's proposed competitor, the BAC 2–11, despite a preference for the latter expressed by British European Airways (BEA).[9]: 34 Another parameter was the requirement for a new engine to be developed by Rolls-Royce to power the proposed airliner; a derivative of the in-development Rolls-Royce RB211, the triple-spool RB207, capable of producing of 47,500 lbf (211 kN).[13] The program cost was US$4.6 billion (in 1993 Dollars).[14]
​
In December 1968, the French and British partner companies (Sud Aviation and Hawker Siddeley) proposed a revised configuration, the 250-seat Airbus A250. It had been feared that the original 300-seat proposal was too large for the market, thus it had been scaled down to produce the A250.[5]: 2–14 [8][15] The dimensional changes involved in the shrink reduced the length of the fuselage by 5.62 metres (18.4 ft) and the diameter by 0.8 metres (31 in), reducing the overall weight by 25 tonnes (55,000 lb).[10][16]: 16 For increased flexibility, the cabin floor was raised so that standard LD3 freight containers could be accommodated side-by-side, allowing more cargo to be carried. Refinements made by Hawker Siddeley to the wing's design provided for greater lift and overall performance; this gave the aircraft the ability to climb faster and attain a level cruising altitude sooner than any other passenger aircraft.[10] It was later renamed the A300B.[9]: 34 [15]
Perhaps the most significant change of the A300B was that it would not require new engines to be developed, being of a suitable size to be powered by Rolls-Royce's RB211, or alternatively the American Pratt & Whitney JT9D and General Electric CF6 powerplants; this switch was recognized as considerably reducing the project's development costs.[11]: 45 [15][16]: 16–17 To attract potential customers in the US market, it was decided that General Electric CF6-50 engines would power the A300 in place of the British RB207; these engines would be produced in co-operation with French firm Snecma.[8][10] By this time, Rolls-Royce had been concentrating their efforts upon developing their RB211 turbofan engine instead and progress on the RB207's development had been slow for some time, the firm having suffered due to funding limitations, both of which had been factors in the engine switch decision.[5]: 2–13 [15][16]: 17–18
On 10 April 1969, a few months after the decision to drop the RB207 had been announced, the British government announced that they would withdraw from the Airbus venture.[6]: 38–39 [15] In response, West Germany proposed to France that they would be willing to contribute up to 50% of the project's costs if France was prepared to do the same.[15] Additionally, the managing director of Hawker Siddeley, Sir Arnold Alexander Hall, decided that his company would remain in the project as a favoured sub-contractor, developing and manufacturing the wings for the A300, which would later become pivotal in later versions' impressive performance from short domestic to long intercontinental flights.[5]: 2–13 [9]: 34 [16]: 18 Hawker Siddeley spent £35 million of its own funds, along with a further £35 million loan from the West German government, on the machine tooling to design and produce the wings.[6]: 39 [15]
Programme launch:
On 29 May 1969, during the Paris Air Show, French transport minister Jean Chamant and German economics minister Karl Schiller signed an agreement officially launching the Airbus A300, the world's first twin-engine widebody airliner.[2] The intention of the project was to produce an aircraft that was smaller, lighter, and more economical than its three-engine American rivals, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar.[10] In order to meet Air France's demands for an aircraft larger than 250-seat A300B, it was decided to stretch the fuselage to create a new variant, designated as the A300B2, which would be offered alongside the original 250-seat A300B, henceforth referred to as the A300B1. On 3 September 1970, Air France signed a letter of intent for six A300s, marking the first order to be won for the new airliner.[6]: 39 [10][16]: 21
In the aftermath of the Paris Air Show agreement, it was decided that, in order to provide effective management of responsibilities, a Groupement d'intérêt économique would be established, allowing the various partners to work together on the project while remaining separate business entities.[2] On 18 December 1970, Airbus Industrie was formally established following an agreement between Aérospatiale (the newly merged Sud Aviation and Nord Aviation) of France and the antecedents to Deutsche Aerospace of Germany, each receiving a 50 per cent stake in the newly formed company.[3]: 50 [6]: 39 [10] In 1971, the consortium was joined by a third full partner, the Spanish firm CASA, who received a 4.2 per cent stake, the other two members reducing their stakes to 47.9 per cent each.[10][16]: 20 In 1979, Britain joined the Airbus consortium via British Aerospace, which Hawker Siddeley had merged into, which acquired a 20 per cent stake in Airbus Industrie with France and Germany each reducing their stakes to 37.9 per cent.[3]: 53 [5]: 2–14 [6]: 39
Prototype and flight testing:
Airbus Industrie was initially headquartered in Paris, which is where design, development, flight testing, sales, marketing, and customer support activities were centered; the headquarters was relocated to Toulouse in January 1974.[8][10] The final assembly line for the A300 was located adjacent to Toulouse Blagnac International Airport. The manufacturing process necessitated transporting each aircraft section being produced by the partner companies scattered across Europe to this one location. The combined use of ferries and roads were used for the assembly of the first A300, however this was time-consuming and not viewed as ideal by Felix Kracht, Airbus Industrie's production director.[10] Kracht's solution was to have the various A300 sections brought to Toulouse by a fleet of Boeing 377-derived Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft, by which means none of the manufacturing sites were more than two hours away. Having the sections airlifted in this manner made the A300 the first airliner to use just-in-time manufacturing techniques, and allowed each company to manufacture its sections as fully equipped, ready-to-fly assemblies.[3]: 53 [10]
In September 1969, construction of the first prototype A300 began.[16]: 20 On 28 September 1972, this first prototype was unveiled to the public, it conducted its maiden flight from Toulouse–Blagnac International Airport on 28 October that year.[6]: 39 [9]: 34 [11]: 51–52 This maiden flight, which was performed a month ahead of schedule, lasted for one hour and 25 minutes; the captain was Max Fischl and the first officer was Bernard Ziegler, son of Henri Ziegler.[10] In 1972, unit cost was US$17.5M.[17] On 5 February 1973, the second prototype performed its maiden flight.[6]: 39 The flight test program, which involved a total of four aircraft, was relatively problem-free, accumulating 1,580 flight hours throughout.[16]: 22 In September 1973, as part of promotional efforts for the A300, the new aircraft was taken on a six-week tour around North America and South America, to demonstrate it to airline executives, pilots, and would-be customers.[10] Amongst the consequences of this expedition, it had allegedly brought the A300 to the attention of Frank Borman of Eastern Airlines, one of the "big four" U.S. airlines.[18]
Entry into service:
On 15 March 1974, type certificates were granted for the A300 from both German and French authorities, clearing the way for its entry into revenue service.[18] On 23 May 1974, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification was received.[16]: 22 The first production model, the A300B2, entered service in 1974, followed by the A300B4 one year later.[8] Initially, the success of the consortium was poor, in part due to the economic consequences of the 1973 oil crisis,[6]: 40 [8][9]: 34 but by 1979 there were 81 A300 passenger liners in service with 14 airlines, alongside 133 firm orders and 88 options.[18] Ten years after the official launch of the A300, the company had achieved a 26 per cent market share in terms of dollar value, enabling Airbus Industries to proceed with the development of its second aircraft, the Airbus A310.[18]
Design:
The Airbus A300 is a wide-body medium-to-long range airliner; it has the distinction of being the first twin-engine wide-body aircraft in the world.[8][9]: 34 [12]: 57, 60 [19] In 1977, the A300 became the first Extended Range Twin Operations (ETOPS)-compliant aircraft, due to its high performance and safety standards.[6]: 40 Another world-first of the A300 is the use of composite materials on a commercial aircraft, which were used on both secondary and later primary airframe structures, decreasing overall weight and improving cost-effectiveness.[19] Other firsts included the pioneering use of center-of-gravity control, achieved by transferring fuel between various locations across the aircraft, and electrically signaled secondary flight controls.[20]
The A300 is powered by a pair of underwing turbofan engines, either General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines; the sole use of underwing engine pods allowed for any suitable turbofan engine to be more readily used.[12]: 57 The lack of a third tail-mounted engine, as per the trijet configuration used by some competing airliners, allowed for the wings to be located further forwards and to reduce the size of the vertical stabilizer and elevator, which had the effect of increasing the aircraft's flight performance and fuel efficiency.[3]: 50 [16]: 21
Airbus partners had employed the latest technology, some of which having been derived from Concorde, on the A300. According to Airbus, new technologies adopted for the airliner were selected principally for increased safety, operational capability, and profitability.[19] Upon entry into service in 1974, the A300 was a very advanced plane, which went on to influence later airliner designs. The technological highlights include advanced wings by de Havilland (later BAE Systems) with supercritical airfoil sections for economical performance and advanced aerodynamically efficient flight control surfaces. The 5.64 m (222 in) diameter circular fuselage section allows an eight-abreast passenger seating and is wide enough for 2 LD3 cargo containers side by side. Structures are made from metal billets, reducing weight. It is the first airliner to be fitted with wind shear protection. Its advanced autopilots are capable of flying the aircraft from climb-out to landing, and it has an electrically controlled braking system.
Later A300s incorporated other advanced features such as the Forward-Facing Crew Cockpit (FFCC), which enabled a two-pilot flight crew to fly the aircraft alone without the need for a flight engineer, the functions of which were automated; this two-man cockpit concept was a world-first for a wide-body aircraft.[8][16]: 23–24 [20] Glass cockpit flight instrumentation, which used cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors to display flight, navigation, and warning information, along with fully digital dual autopilots and digital flight control computers for controlling the spoilers, flaps, and leading-edge slats, were also adopted upon later-built models.[19][21] Additional composites were also made use of, such as carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), as well as their presence in an increasing proportion of the aircraft's components, including the spoilers, rudder, air brakes, and landing gear doors.[22] Another feature of later aircraft was the addition of wingtip fences, which improved aerodynamic performance and thus reduced cruise fuel consumption by about 1.5% for the A300-600.[23]
In addition to passenger duties, the A300 became widely used by air freight operators; according to Airbus, it is the best selling freight aircraft of all time.[20] Various variants of the A300 were built to meet customer demands, often for diverse roles such as aerial refueling tankers, freighter models (new-build and conversions), combi aircraft, military airlifter, and VIP transport. Perhaps the most visually unique of the variants is the A300-600ST Beluga, an oversize cargo-carrying model operated by Airbus to carry aircraft sections between their manufacturing facilities.[20] The A300 was the basis for, and retained a high level of commonality with, the second airliner produced by Airbus, the smaller Airbus A310.[19]
Operational history:
On 23 May 1974, the first A300 to enter service performed the first commercial flight of the type, flying from Paris to London, for Air France.[6]: 39 [18]
Immediately after the launch, sales of the A300 were weak for some years, with most orders going to airlines that had an obligation to favor the domestically made product – notably Air France and Lufthansa, the first two airlines to place orders for the type.[3]: 50–52 [18] Following the appointment of Bernard Lathière as Henri Ziegler's replacement, an aggressive sales approach was adopted. Indian Airlines was the world's first domestic airline to purchase the A300, ordering three aircraft with three options. However, between December 1975 and May 1977, there were no sales for the type. During this period a number of "whitetail" A300s – completed but unsold aircraft – were completed and stored at Toulouse, and production fell to half an aircraft per month amid calls to pause production completely.[18]
During the flight testing of the A300B2, Airbus held a series of talks with Korean Air on the topic of developing a longer-range version of the A300, which would become the A300B4. In September 1974, Korean Air placed an order for four A300B4s with options for two further aircraft; this sale was viewed as significant as it was the first non-European international airline to order Airbus aircraft. Airbus had viewed South-East Asia as a vital market that was ready to be opened up and believed Korean Air to be the 'key'.[8][16]: 23 [18]
Airlines operating the A300 on short haul routes were forced to reduce frequencies to try and fill the aircraft. As a result, they lost passengers to airlines operating more frequent narrow body flights. Eventually, Airbus had to build its own narrowbody aircraft (the A320) to compete with the Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9/MD-80. The savior of the A300 was the advent of ETOPS, a revised FAA rule which allows twin-engine jets to fly long-distance routes that were previously off-limits to them. This enabled Airbus to develop the aircraft as a medium/long range airliner.
In 1977, US carrier Eastern Air Lines leased four A300s as an in-service trial.[18] CEO Frank Borman was impressed that the A300 consumed 30% less fuel, even less than expected, than his fleet of L-1011s. Borman proceeded to order 23 A300s, becoming the first U.S. customer for the type. This order is often cited as the point at which Airbus came to be seen as a serious competitor to the large American aircraft-manufacturers Boeing and McDonnell Douglas.[6]: 40 [8][18] Aviation author John Bowen alleged that various concessions, such as loan guarantees from European governments and compensation payments, were a factor in the decision as well.[3]: 52 The Eastern Air Lines breakthrough was shortly followed by an order from Pan Am. From then on, the A300 family sold well, eventually reaching a total of 561 delivered aircraft.[1]
In December 1977, Aerocondor Colombia became the first Airbus operator in Latin America, leasing one Airbus A300B4-2C, named Ciudad de Barranquilla.
During the late 1970s, Airbus adopted a so-called 'Silk Road' strategy, targeting airlines in the Far East.[3]: 52 [18] As a result, The aircraft found particular favor with Asian airlines, being bought by Japan Air System, Korean Air, China Eastern Airlines, Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Indian Airlines, Trans Australia Airlines and many others. As Asia did not have restrictions similar to the FAA 60-minutes rule for twin-engine airliners which existed at the time, Asian airlines used A300s for routes across the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea.
In 1977, the A300B4 became the first ETOPS compliant aircraft,[24] qualifying for Extended Twin Engine Operations over water, providing operators with more versatility in routing. In 1982 Garuda Indonesia became the first airline to fly the A300B4-200FFCC.[25] By 1981, Airbus was growing rapidly, with over 400 aircraft sold to over forty airlines.[26]
In 1989, Chinese operator China Eastern Airlines received its first A300; by 2006, the airline operated around 18 A300s, making it the largest operator of both the A300 and the A310 at that time. On 31 May 2014, China Eastern officially retired the last A300-600 in its fleet, having begun drawing down the type in 2010.[27]
From 1997 to 2014, a single A300, designated A300 Zero-G, was operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as a reduced-gravity aircraft for conducting research into microgravity; the A300 is the largest aircraft to ever have been used in this capacity. A typical flight would last for two and a half hours, enabling up to 30 parabolas to be performed per flight.[28][29]
By the 1990s, the A300 was being heavily promoted as a cargo freighter.[16]: 24 The largest freight operator of the A300 is FedEx Express, which has 65 A300 aircraft in service as of May 2022.[30] UPS Airlines also operates 52 freighter versions of the A300.[31]
The final version was the A300-600R and is rated for 180-minute ETOPS. The A300 has enjoyed renewed interest in the secondhand market for conversion to freighters; large numbers were being converted during the late 1990s.[16]: 24–25 The freighter versions – either new-build A300-600s or converted ex-passenger A300-600s, A300B2s and B4s – account for most of the world's freighter fleet after the Boeing 747 freighter.[32]
The A300 provided Airbus the experience of manufacturing and selling airliners competitively. The basic fuselage of the A300 was later stretched (A330 and A340), shortened (A310), or modified into derivatives (A300-600ST Beluga Super Transporter). In 2006, unit cost of an −600F was $105 million.[14] In March 2006, Airbus announced the impending closure of the A300/A310 final assembly line,[33] making them the first Airbus aircraft to be discontinued. The final production A300, an A300F freighter, performed its initial flight on 18 April 2007,[34] and was delivered to FedEx Express on 12 July 2007.[35] Airbus has announced a support package to keep A300s flying commercially. Airbus offers the A330-200F freighter as a replacement for the A300 cargo variants.[36]
The life of UPS's fleet of 52 A300s, delivered from 2000 to 2006, will be extended to 2035 by a flight deck upgrade based around Honeywell Primus Epic avionics; new displays and flight management system (FMS), improved weather radar, a central maintenance system, and a new version of the current enhanced ground proximity warning system. With a light usage of only two to three cycles per day, it will not reach the maximum number of cycles by then. The first modification will be made at Airbus Toulouse in 2019 and certified in 2020.[37] As of July 2017, there are 211 A300s in service with 22 operators, with the largest operator being FedEx Express with 68 A300-600F aircraft.[38]
Variants:
A300B1 - The A300B1 was the first variant to take flight. It had a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 132 t (291,000 lb), was 51 m (167 ft) long and was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines.[16]: 21 [39]: 41 Only two prototypes of the variant were built before it was adapted into the A300B2, the first production variant of the airliner.[6]: 39 The second prototype was leased to Trans European Airways in 1974.[39]: 54
A300B2 -
A300B2-100:
Responding to a need for more seats from Air France, Airbus decided that the first production variant should be larger than the original prototype A300B1. The CF6-50A powered A300B2-100 was 2.6 m (8.5 ft) longer than the A300B1 and had an increased MTOW of 137 t (302,000 lb), allowing for 30 additional seats and bringing the typical passenger count up to 281, with capacity for 20 LD3 containers.[40]: 10 [41][39]: 17 Two prototypes were built and the variant made its maiden flight on 28 June 1973, became certified on 15 March 1974 and entered service with Air France on 23 May 1974.[39]: 27, 53 [40]: 10
A300B2-200:
For the A300B2-200, originally designated as the A300B2K, Krueger flaps were introduced at the leading-edge root, the slat angles were reduced from 20 degrees to 16 degrees, and other lift related changes were made in order to introduce a high-lift system. This was done to improve performance when operating at high-altitude airports, where the air is less dense and lift generation is reduced.[42]: 52, 53 [43] The variant had an increased MTOW of 142 t (313,000 lb) and was powered by CF6-50C engines, was certified on 23 June 1976, and entered service with South African Airways in November 1976.[39]: 40 [40]: 12 CF6-50C1 and CF6-50C2 models were also later fitted depending on customer requirements, these became certified on 22 February 1978 and 21 February 1980 respectively.[39]: 41 [40]: 12
A300B2-320:
The A300B2-320 introduced the Pratt & Whitney JT9D powerplant and was powered by JT9D-59A engines. It retained the 142 t (313,000 lb) MTOW of the B2-200, was certified on 4 January 1980, and entered service with Scandinavian Airlines on 18 February 1980, with only four being produced.[39]: 99, 112 [40]: 14
A300B4 -
A300B4-100:
The initial A300B4 variant, later named the A300B4-100, included a centre fuel tank for an increased fuel capacity of 47.5 tonnes (105,000 lb), and had an increased MTOW of 157.5 tonnes (347,000 lb).[44][42]: 38 It also featured Krueger flaps and had a similar high-lift system to what was later fitted to the A300B2-200.[42]: 74 The variant made its maiden flight on 26 December 1974, was certified on 26 March 1975, and entered service with Germanair in May 1975.[39]: 32, 54 [40]: 16
A300B4-200:
The A300B4-200 had an increased MTOW of 165 tonnes (364,000 lb) and featured an additional optional fuel tank in the rear cargo hold, which would reduce the cargo capacity by two LD3 containers.[40]: 19 [42]: 69 The variant was certified on 26 April 1979.[40]: 19
A300-600 - The A300-600, officially designated as the A300B4-600, was slightly longer than the A300B2 and A300B4 variants and had an increased interior space from using a similar rear fuselage to the Airbus A310, this allowed it to have two additional rows of seats.[42]: 79 It was initially powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4H1 engines, but was later fitted with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, with Pratt & Whitney PW4156 or PW4158 engines being introduced in 1986.[42]: 82 Other changes include an improved wing featuring a recambered trailing edge, the incorporation of simpler single-slotted Fowler flaps, the deletion of slat fences, and the removal of the outboard ailerons after they were deemed unnecessary on the A310.[45] The variant made its first flight on 8 July 1983, was certified on 9 March 1984, and entered service in June 1984 with Saudi Arabian Airlines.[40]: 42 [39]: 58 A total of 313 A300-600s (all versions) have been sold. The A300-600 uses the A310 cockpits, featuring digital technology and electronic displays, eliminating the need for a flight engineer. The FAA issues a single type rating which allows operation of both the A310 and A300-600. A300-600: (Official designation: A300B4-600) The baseline model of the −600 series. A300-620C: (Official designation: A300C4-620) A convertible-freighter version. Four delivered between 1984 and 1985. A300-600F: (Official designation: A300F4-600) The freighter version of the baseline −600. A300-600R: (Official designation: A300B4-600R) The increased-range −600, achieved by an additional trim fuel tank in the tail. First delivery in 1988 to American Airlines; all A300s built since 1989 (freighters included) are −600Rs. Japan Air System (later merged into Japan Airlines) took delivery of the last new-built passenger A300, an A300-622R, in November 2002. A300-600RC: (Official designation: A300C4-600R) The convertible-freighter version of the −600R. Two were delivered in 1999. A300-600RF: (Official designation: A300F4-600R) The freighter version of the −600R. All A300s delivered between November 2002 and 12 July 2007 (last ever A300 delivery) were A300-600RFs.
A310 (A300B10)-
Airbus had demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300. On 7 July 1978, the A310 (initially the A300B10) was launched with orders from Swissair and Lufthansa. On 3 April 1982, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight and it received its type certification on 11 March 1983.
Keeping the same eight-abreast cross-section, the A310 is 6.95 m (22.8 ft) shorter than the initial A300 variants, and has a smaller 219 m2 (2,360 sq ft) wing, down from 260 m2 (2,800 sq ft). The A310 introduced a two-crew glass cockpit, later adopted for the A300-600 with a common type rating. It was powered by the same GE CF6-80 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D then PW4000 turbofans. It can seat 220 passengers in two classes, or 240 in all-economy, and can fly up to 5,150 nmi (9,540 km). It has overwing exits between the two main front and rear door pairs.
In April 1983, the aircraft entered revenue service with Swissair and competed with the Boeing 767–200, introduced six months before. Its longer range and ETOPS regulations allowed it to be operated on transatlantic flights. Until the last delivery in June 1998, 255 aircraft were produced, as it was succeeded by the larger Airbus A330-200. It has cargo aircraft versions, and was derived into the Airbus A310 MRTT military tanketransport.
Airbus A300-ST (Beluga)
Commonly referred to as the Airbus Beluga or "Airbus Super Transporter," these five airframes are used by Airbus to ferry parts between the company's disparate manufacturing facilities, thus enabling workshare distribution. They replaced the four Aero Spacelines Super Guppys previously used by Airbus.
ICAO code: A3ST
Operators:
As of March 2023, there were 228 A300 family aircraft in commercial service. The five largest operators were FedEx Express (70), UPS Airlines (52), European Air Transport Leipzig (23), Iran Air (11), and Mahan Air (11).[46]

I haven’t seen my dad physically in over a year. I last talked to him in February for his birthday. He forgot mine in March. The number called and said they were a friend of his for a couple of years and were worried about him. I’ve been worried about him for years. My brother overdosed and died at age 25 in 2009. After that he fucked up his marriage by cheating on her, he did the same to my mom years before. So she left him. I lived with him for a while and he just fell into rage and anger, so I moved out to better my own life and get it together.
Our relationship devolved horribly when we lived together, it continued to deteriorate from stagnation. He never listened to me about his health as he’s type 2 diabetic. Last year he had a stroke he told me because he was doing “something he shouldn’t be doing”. He got lucky and recovered. I tried to take him to doctors appointments but he blew me off or barely paid attention when we were at them.
I began having severe panic attacks and became non functioning in my own life. I was consumed with paranoia about him dying, because I’m terrified of having to care for him full time. I have this fear because I was end of life care for my mom who died from brain cancer in 2013. It was horrible Andy traumatizing. He didn’t help obviously since they’d been divorced for years.
I began to go to therapy and worked hard on myself to recover and begin to build my life up. I called less and less because I couldn’t be seeing his negativity and victim mentality. He’s always saying he “wants nothing from no one”. When you’re in the room with him it’s all about his problems and how everyone is taking advantage of him. He’s called me horrible names.
So naturally I’ve distanced myself from him, because being around him makes me want to die and give up. So I got a call today from someone who knows him whom I’ve never met. They said he looks really bad, his diabetes is out of control and she stated he was addicted to drugs. She won’t tell me what kind or anything. She seems to think that if someone can approach him with empathy and kindness that it will somehow help him admit that he needs help and go to rehab. He is a veteran, so maybe we could get him into that program. But I don’t know that I want anything to do with this. Just in the span of the afternoon when she called me to this morning at 3 AM, I am feeling how I did when I was non-functional. I have worked very hard to put my life together, and I love my father, but he hasn’t really been a functional parent to me in many years.
And to be honest, I don’t think I can approach him with empathy or understanding at all. All I feel towards him is rage and anger and frustration for all of the bullshit that I’ve gone through on my own, all he knows how to do is make things worse for me. I know that his addiction likely comes from deep self hatred , and I’m sure that my brother’s death was the catalyst for most of this.
She also stated that he seems scared because he had had someone around who was violent. She stated that she had gotten into a physical fight with this person and ended up in the hospital after being punched in the face I tried to gain some insight into what exactly he was involved in, but she was very vague. It did not seem to me like she really wanted anything from me. She said that it might be helpful to simply put my eyes on him and see how poorly he was doing. I asked her what she expected of me , and if she really thought I would be capable of doing anything to help him? She said I’m not actually required to do anything, but if it was her family, she would want to know which is why she looked me up on the Internet. I don’t doubt anything that she is saying, it all makes sense, and sounds truthful.
The fact that he hasn’t spoken to me in months, he was absent when I recently had a cancer scare and had to go through two surgeries, it’s just, it makes a lot of sense to me. So now I’m over here. Just debating with myself if there’s anything I can do to help him, or if I even should. I cannot allow him to derail my life, but even thinking about being around him, is sending me into almost complete panic .
I really feel like if he does not get help he is going to die. But I don’t know that I am capable of giving him the help he needs. If the drugs do not kill him, he will likely have another stroke. And he has no one else because he’s driven everyone away. My entire family struggles with addiction, I am the only one who does not. And it’s because of watching all of my cousins and aunts and uncles and my dad and my brother lose their shit to it.
I am so angry, I am exhausted. We never actually had a disagreement or a conversation where I told him I didn’t want him in my life anymore, I just stopped calling one day. And he stopped calling me. It’s horrible. I miss him all the time, it feels like I don’t have a family anymore and I’m just out here raw dogging life by myself. I have very good friends in my life, but many of them do not understand where I’m coming from. I feel like a broken record talking about him all the time. Even in therapy .
I never really had a need to come on here before, because I had to read it myself into thinking that his drug addiction that initially caused his first stroke, was a one off. How ignorant of me. Likely he’s been doing drugs this entire time I feel like I am watching him, ruin his life and implode. And now there’s this violent person in his life? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about that, now I don’t want to go to his house at all because I don’t wanna get in the middle of whatever the fuck that is.
This is fucking crazy, I can’t live like this. But I can’t live either because all I do is worry about him. Even when things are going relatively well, all I can do is think about my dad and whether or not he’s OK. I no longer leave my cell phone on because I am afraid to get a phone call that he is dead. And I am also afraid to get a call that he is alive like I did today. Before I even answered the phone I knew that it wasn’t a Robo call . I knew that I had something to do with him and that it wasn’t good.
I can’t remember the last time she did anything for me that brought joy or positivity to my life. But I think I am still holding onto who he used to be when I was a child.
I’m so lost .

I Will Not Drink With You Today

​
This is the daily motivation thread for today. Please feel free to discuss what ever is on your mind.
​
Other resources:
​

• Big List of Resources

​
This is a place for anyone who does not WANT to drink today to come and be around like minded people. Conversation is open to anyone but is limited to the daily motivation threads. If you have something you need to discuss comment in the latest thread or there are other alcohol support groups available should you choose:
​

• /stopdrinking
• /alcoholism
• /alanon

​
IWNDWYT!

Introduction:
High blood sugar levels are a common problem for people of all ages, and specifically for people who work or do physical activity. In fact, about one-third of adults over the age of 50 have high blood sugar levels at some point in their lives. This is a big deal because it can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even death. To help reduce high blood sugar levels, you need to know what foods are good for lowering blood sugar levels. Here’s how to find out:

What Are the Top 5 Foods That Help Reduce High Blood Sugar Levels.

Some foods that may help lower blood sugar levels include: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. These foods may also have other health benefits like reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
What Are the Top Foods That Help Reduce the Risk of Diabetes.
Certain foods might also help reduce the risk of diabetes if eaten regularly. These include low-fat dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and milk, as well as lean protein sources like chicken or fish. eating these types of foods every day can help prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.
What Are the Top Foods That Help Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease.
Another way to prevent heart disease is by eating healthy fats and proteins from meat and poultry, plantains, eggs, nuts/seeds, and seafood. This type of diet helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by providing essential nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber that can reduce inflammation in the body.
What Are the Top Foods That Help Reduce the Risk of Stroke.
Eating a balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources, healthy fats/proteins (like omega-3s), and desserts may also be helpful in preventing stroke events from happening in those with type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
​
Download Our Keto eBook for Free Today!

How to Reduce High Blood Sugar Levels.

Sugar can play a big role in your blood sugar levels. To reduce its influence, limit the amount of sugar you eat. Eat smaller meals more often and avoid eating foods with added sugars like soda, sweeteners, processed foods, and alcohol.
Subsection 2.2 Reduce the Influence of Sodas, Sweets, processed foods, and alcohol on Your Blood Sugar Levels.
Soda and other drinks can have a significant impact on blood sugar levels. If you drink too much soda or drink unhealthy sodas regularly, your blood sugar could go up significantly. Instead of drinking large cups of soda each day, try drinking half a cup or less per day and see how that affects your blood sugar levels.
Reduce the Influence of Food Allergies on Your Blood Sugar Levels.
Food allergies are another common cause of elevated blood sugar levels. If you have an allergy to something in food, it can lead to higher blood sugar levels because your body cannot metabolize that food properly. To decrease the risk of developing an allergy-related food sensitivity, be sure toread labels carefully and avoid any food that might trigger an allergic response (like peanuts).
Reduce the Influence of Red Blood Cells on Your Blood Sugar Levels.
Red blood cells play a major role in carrying oxygen around our bodies and helping us fight against infection. When your red blood cells get too highwattage or are too stressed, they can start generating energy too quickly which can lead to high blood sugars levels. To avoid this, try to limit your red blood cell production and stay calm during high-stress situations.

How to Reduce the Risk of Diabetes.

The risk of diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes) is increased when blood sugar levels are too high. To reduce the risk of developing this condition, try to keep blood sugar levels under control by following these tips:
- Be sure you get enough water every day.
Eat a Healthy Diet That Is Low in Sugar and Carbohydrates
- Make sure you get enough exercise.
- Avoid eating foods that may increase blood sugar levels such as candy, cake, pies, and ice cream.

Conclusion

Reduce the risk of diabetes by following a healthy diet and reducing the number of blood sugar levels that are too high. By making sure you get enough water every day, eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar and carbohydrates, and getting enough exercise, you can help prevent diabetes from happening.

*** Comments mentioning anything related to treatment in this thread will be removed via our OFF TOPIC rule. Consider if you were taking a break from treatment because you were exhausted and sad - treatment (yes anything related to it) goes in treatment **\*
Coping with infertility is complex, and it is our imperative to create places where we can honor the distinctly unique needs created by infertility. Sit beside us and share what’s on your mind and going on in your life. This is a great place to get to know your fellow members outside the gravity of treatment. Discussion here includes, but is not limited to:

• Venting about the impact of infertility on our lives/relationships/careers
• Non-IF Rants of all kind – marriage, career, societal, social media, friendships, mental health, and yes… politics too. It doesn’t need to be infertility related!
• Discussions around dealing with the influence of infertility – therapy, coping methods, finding supportive friends, getting lapped by a friend, dealing with pregnancy announcements, pushy parents, people that don’t understand, etc. The big picture stuff.
• Sharing stories and parts of your life (pictures of pets always welcome!) outside of infertility

​
Example of the difference between the Treatment and Chat Thread:
Comments for the Treatment Thread

• Literally anything that involves or mentions treatment: paying for it, being exhausted by it, fighting about it, telling other people about it. If anything about your comment has anything to do with treatment, it belongs in the treatment thread. Also including diagnostic tests, medication, lab results, or lifestyle measures taking in the hopes of improving treatment outcome.
  • I'm in the TWW, and I'm glad I scheduled a vacation as a distraction!
  • I'm trying to decide if I should delay my egg retrieval cycle because this is a big work month for me.
  • I told my parents about IVF, and they were incredibly supportive. I feel really grateful.

Comments for the Chat Thread

• You can of course still discuss infertility in the chat thread:
  • I am super bummed about being lapped by a friend.
  • I have two currently pregnant coworkers, and I am losing my mind with all the pregnancy discussion.
  • Today is the anniversary of my loss, and I'm really struggling.
• Or you can discuss things unrelated to infertility:
  • Whoa, my dogwalker taught my dog to roll over.
  • There's this donut place next to my work that sells donuts for $5 each, but the WILD thing is that they're worth it!
  • My spouse and I are planning a trip to Europe. Opinions on Italy vs Greece?

A few notes:

• Positive HPT or Beta Results (including Beta Hell) should only be posted in the Results thread as per the rules (except for confirmed loss): https://www.reddit.com/infertility/search?q=flair_name%3A%22Results%22
• We recognize that the AM/PM distinction doesn’t match up with every time zone in our global community, we ask that you pick the most recently posted thread wherever you are.
• Standalone culture here is saved for complex topics, usually including detailed conversations around scientific studies, or asking multi-part complex questions around treatment plans. We strongly recommend posting in the community threads first. If you aren’t sure, ask in the daily threads first!

Above all - Science minded perspective and respect for others is important here. Please treat your fellow peers with compassion.
Last reminder - this is the CHAT thread. Not the place to discuss anything focused on treatment.

Talk about your plays today or things you are on the lookout for. This is where you belong if your comment includes a $Ticker in that format.
​
keep it civil please

A recent property dispute in my town has led me to see that our centuries old system of surveying land from the ground leaves something to be desired. If someone stuck a fence or post in the ground 100 years ago and made an agreement on what it meant for property rights relative to the landmark, that could lead to some disputes today. Different surveys are done at different times. Methods of measuring and recording can vary over time. Different governments can gain control of the property and have different standards.
I'm wondering if GPS is accurate enough to be a universal language for property lines. It'd be independent of natural factors (such as erosion on a landmark). Or does GPS have its own inconsistencies, such as shifting slightly based on the Earth's tilt?
Same question for longitude/latitude. What is the smallest unit of measurement that people typically use when recording longitude? Would it be worthless when trying to determine whose property a particular tree was on, since a tree might only be a couple feet wide?
Can you imagine a future where we don't measure our property line by looking DOWN at the ground, but rather by standing on a spot and holding a device that tracks location and looking UP at satellites? Or is this a pipe dream?

Cubs vs. White Sox and the Guy I Dated
Hey guys! Hope you’re having a good day today!
I had a question regarding fans who choose to cheer for the Cubs or The White Sox. I dated a guy for three months and he mentioned that he was born and grew up in South side Chicago then him and his family moved to the suburbs (not sure where) He is caucasian white with German origins.
Growing up in South Side, poor, struggling your way up in life, and facing some sort of discrimination automatically makes you a White Sox fan as I understood it online.
What I couldn’t fathom is his insane loyalty to the Cubs and his strange discomfort to black humor and/or any mention of Black Americans in general.
I understood it as that he wanted a cultural social mobility by cheering for the cubs and not be associated with the lower classes he grew up with or faced some sort of struggle with.
Can anyone provide their insight on this?

Hello everyone, first time posting here or really much of anywhere but I have been lurking on this subreddit for the last couple weeks because I really have not been sure if telling my story would make me feel better, but here we go.
So first a little backstory, I am not the most traditionally attractive guy, but I have always put up a front of confidence and charm. So I will admit when I was younger especially I had very little issues talking to women. Despite this my love life has been quite the shit show. The main incident that is relevant to my story now happened a few years ago, I got engaged to my best friend of years and while when I talk about it to most people I simply say "oh it just didn't work out" the harsh reality is that she died and while I have had years to heal I still can't handle the look of pity if I tell them the truth.
Despite the loss of my fiance and best friend I moved on, as I know that's what she would have wanted for me. I went to college, first of my family, and had several relationships there. However, all of them where not long term or super serious, all where either sexual in nature or had known limited life spans,.like knowing the relationship was going to end when she graduated ect.
Then one day I met a girl, on a random chat site no less, and we hit it off. Now I have no idea what it was that drew me to her so strongly, she was kind, smart, beautiful, sexy, and just had this way of making me feel like through her eyes there was no man that could compare. She encouraged me to be the best I could be and washed away my insecurities. She truly helped me be a version of me I was proud of, and in return I was always there for her, I loved her, I did anything I could to make her happy. That was the big thing I just wanted her to be happy, and for quite some time she seemed like she really was.
We dated long distance, sadly of course she lived on the other side of the world but I had gotten my visa and had plans for me to visit after I graduated. For almost 2 years er where happy. Then a couple months before our 2 year anniversary she tells me she wants to break up, she is crying and saying how much she loves me but that the fact she found someone she can see herself spending her life with at such a young age terrified her, she was 21. I was heartbroken the first woman I let myself truly love since my fiance died was breaking up with me because she had met me too early? Despite this her happiness is what mattered most to me and I decided I would be supportive in any way I could. However, the way she treated me post breakup up is really what got me.
I understood she would have to distance herself to some degree, but she distanced herself hard, she treated me as if I was an ex that abused her, she did not trust me with things, and she made it very clear most the time randomly that we where never getting back together. I thought we had a genuine special connection and even if we where not together I thought we could translate that connection into a supportive friendship.
Two weeks after the break up, she sent on a date, it hurt but I understood and was not mad. However this guy did something to her that is not my place to talk about. I could tell she was hiding something next time we talked and I hate that I made her tell me what was wrong because it felt manipulative and that's not who I ever wanted to be. Anyway after hearing what he did I pleaded with her to not see him again for her own sake, she made it clear she was because he turned out to also be her drug dealer and she had taken up smoking a lot more than she had before which I did not have an issue with. Than on the day that would have been our two year anniversary I noticed she removed me as a friend on various platforms and I asked her about it, I wasn't blocked, she does not like blocking people. All she said was that she had a new boyfriend (the guy previously mentioned) and that he nor her was comfortable with her talking to me. And that was that have not talked since, I know it is her choice to live her life how she wants but I can't not worry to some degree about someone I loved so dearly.
Now for the first time I feel more alone than even when my fiance died. I treated my ex right, did everything I could and it still was not enough. I have always been a romantic stoic, that is to say no matter what happened in my love life I persevered but now I just don't know how to feel. Simply put I feel empty and for the first time in my life feel like maybe love is not meant for me.
I know this was long so thank you to anybody and everybody that took the time to read this, I hope you all genuinely are happy and are having a wonderful day/night.

Decarboxylation is a very important step in the process of making a cannabis concentrate. In short and blunt lamens terms decarboxylation is heating of cannabis to activate the appropriate cannabinoids. Heat and cold are the Extraction Technicians best friend, when controlled for. THCa is the naturally occurring form of THC exsisting in raw cannabis form where as THC is not present in raw cannabis. THCa is tetrahydracannabinolic acid, THC being the former word less acid, Tetrahydracannabinol.
The most important reason behind decarbing is the activation of the acid groups of compounds into their psychotropic active forms. While there are medicinal and therapeutic benefits to THCa and other Acid forms of cannabinoids, they are not therapeutic via combustion and can only be used to induce immediate medicinal therpaeutic effect in transdermal absorption, edibles, rso, tinctures etc. Though extended lomg term benefits of THCa have been suggested by studies. THCa is not psychotropic however. Very few psychoactive psychotropic benefits can be experienced from raw cannabis flower prior to decarboxylation.
Decaroxylation is one of the most important steps in cannabis concentrate processing, but is a part of cannabis use regarldess of How it is used. Decarboxylation is the addition of heat to raw cannabis or cannabis flower that has been curred. This torches the cannabis flower and upon reaching its flash point around 315° F approximately, the THCa loose a single carbon atom Carboxyl group 👉 (-COOH) while holding onto a hydrogen atom.
The atomic make up of THCa is 4 Oxygen, 30 Hydrodgen, and 22 Carbon atoms. We can see that decarbing causes the loss of 2 Oxygen atoms, 1 hydrogen, and 1 carbon atom. This is known as carbon dioxide, 1 carbon, di-2 oxide 1 hydrogen atom. Removal of said carboxyl group causes an approximately 12% reduction in THCa and converts to active THC.
This process can happen as I mentioned from combustion of plant material reaching the flash point of THC at approximately 320°F. It can also take place in a much more delicate manner whereby the THCa is converted to THC for use in products which will not undergo combustion. These are your edibles, tinctures, Rick Simpson Oil, topicals etc. These require that the THCa be ran through a decarboxylation process via lab techniques. However, the consumed compound in edibles and RSO is THC.
THCa does not bind to the receptors which are the main parts activating the endocannabinoid system, aka ECS. The ECS is a largely not understood homeostatic process involving the peropheral and nervous systems. THCa has a shape and size that prevents it from binding to CB1 or CB2 receptors. THC however has the key to both receptors.

There is not much study that has been conducted on THCa, largely thanks to the little amount of study done on cannabis. Meaning that which has been done has been on the seemingly most pertinent parts of the plant to understand given its possible recreational and inherent medicnal stance in the western World. 

THCa is quite interesting in that studies have shown it to be directly beneficial to the reduction of pain by causing inhibition of COX-1 and Cox-2 enzymes. Both of said enzymes have potential to increase inflimation, pain, & fever. The interesting thing is the usefulness I have heard family and friends speak to, that being the application of topicals. I always wondered how in the world a topical would be beneficial for someone like my aunt, who smoke upwards of an ounce a week and uses pens and dabs. She finds the anti inflammirory and pain relieving properties of topical absorption of THCa extremely beneficial. She suffers a multitude of issues traditionally thought of to be treated by cannabis like gastroporesis, fibromyalgia, and inflimation associated pain.
The medicinal and recreational benefits of THC vs THCa differ darastically. THCa is not psychotropic, or as I often refer to it as psychoactively psychedelic. But has a multitude of medicnal applications through topical transdermal absorption, juicing of cannabis leaves, plant, and flower, rso, and other edibles.
THCa treats neurodegenrative diseases such as alzheimers disease, interesting given that CBD quells seizure activity in certain nerodivergent disorders. THCa is also anit spasmodic, meaning it stops muscele shaking in diseases like Parkinson disease. It also somewhat counterintuitive as an anti proliferative, considering the proliferative nature of sesquiterpenes. Said Anit proliferative attributes making it beneficial in prevention of prostate cancers.
THCa is also anti emetic to treat nausea vomiting etc and induce apetite & aid reduction in nausea. It is also analgesic in nature which means it is a pain killer. Finally like most compounds in cannabis THCa is an antioxidant that protects one from and reverses the damage caused by free radicals.
THC in addition to the plethora of medicinal applications of THCa, we have the medicinal viability of THC. Again none of this is accepted by the FDA and much comes from studies of cannabis from around the world as US peer reviewed research wasn't allowed in the US untill 2022. Atleast NOT RESEARCH without FDA manipulation forcing researchers to use cannabis from the University of Mississippi grown by government contractors to ensure low quality cannabis and sub par quality. This was the product available for study by peer reviewed researchers, ensuring FDAs plausible deniablilty while simultaneously actively controlling ability to produce results other than null. This backing down by the FDA is why we see so many synthetic cannabinoids hitting the market now. We're actually able to study the cannabis actually being used, though the restrictions are still a bit uncalled for.
The benefits of THC actually do differ from THCa. I didn't know this for the longest time. I always thought that THC was simply decarboxylIzed THCa. THC can assist with the treatment of opioid addiction, ya know, the way addicts who've suffered from the disease for years have suggested that the plant helps. For decades individuals on methadone maintainence treatment or another form of medicated assisted Treatment, aka MAT like suboxone, subtuex, or sublicaid which are all partial opioid agonists, save methadone as it is a full agonist. The Marijuana is said to dissuade the desire for reward seeking by allowing a less intense non addictive reward to Be given to the brain via THC.
Studies have actually shown a statistically significant difference in completion of opioid maintainence programs and relapse therein or total relapse correlated to THC use. This use is said to be decreasing desire to activate that 'burnt-in' reward system pathway. Essentially yes it let's the patient get high without axtivating those addictive pathways. This is supported by studies like the one I often discuss regarding injection of Beta Myrcene in Mice. Interestingly a study performed on Beta myrcene outside of cannabis, subcutaneous and intra peritoneal injection of cannabis derived beta myrcene led to analgesia comparable to prescription opiates.
The amazing find imo is that while it produced similar analgesic effects, it took an unknown pathway which caused analgesia but didn't exhibit the addictive properties of opioid Mu receptor activation. The studies insinuate both the application and medicinal viability of myrcene outside and likely within the whole of cannabis. Remember the whole is more than sum of its parts. AS well as the fact that THERE maybe isn't much receptor activation leadiNg to addictive properties, but RATHER, the pathway to the mu receptor causes the addictive properties.
THC has also been shown to have a strong Correlation to increased Metabolic output, which has a multitude of health benefits that most certainly don't abIDE by THE social niceties of todayS society. Cannabis use can produce THC benefit can lessen possibility of diet related obesity. The THC has actually been shown to be correlated with decrease in Body Mass Index as outdated as the BMI is said to be in modern culture. In addition THC has been correlated to A decrease in likliehood of diet associated diabetes.
THC also exhibits the characteristic of encouraging Vasodialation which is how the pressure in the eyes is releived for Glaucoma patients. Vasodiallation is the diallation of blood vessels, aka opening them up. This causes a decrease in blood pressure. However, strains with potent beta myrcene levels can effect the way in which the THC works. When THC is used with Beta caryophyllene in that form, not trans caryophyllene which is the most common form of beta caryophyllene and myrcene together, the THC enhances sedative effects in the potency of the onset brought on by beta caryophyllene sedation enhanced via myrcene.
Myrcene alone causes proliferation of THC across the blood brain n barrier leading to imcreased absorption of THC and increased activation of the CB1 receptors. This increases the psychotropic ability of the cannabis. THC potency can also be controlled with the application of various combinations of terpenes, namely related to beta caryophyllene and beta myrcene.

For example, that intensification of cb1 receptor activity can be quelled using the dietary nature of the dietary cannabinoid Beta Caryophyllene, by ingesting small amounts of black pepper cernals. These are high in Beta caryophyllene and as it is also a dietary cannabinoid meaning it can enter the endocsnnabnoid system througj the stomach and interacts with cannabis compounds active in the ECS. This calms the psychotropic Intensity calming paranoia & anxiety. 

What is interesting and leads to deep sometimes heated discussion is that THC is also anxiolytic. Obviously heated given the intensification of THC via myrcene in a sativa lacking beta or trans caryophyllene. THCa is shown in studies in 2017 to be a more effective anti inflammitory than CBD when treating certain gastrointestinal disorders, specifically Irritable bowel syndrome, chrons disease, and ulcerative colitis.
So what does it mean when you see a small amount of THC in the product but higher levels of THCa? That ofcourse is a traditional confirmation of analysis.

First, it is very possible that the confirmation of analysis testing if using gas Chrometography that the THC may be underestimated, making for a more potent product than labeled....though these differences would be so Minute they likely wouldn't be noted by a person using the product. Maybe someone sensitive to THC. 

Ever notice how there is typically some level of THC usually below 1% while your THCa tests around 79% or 78%. When testing cannabis products, when using Gas Chrometography the amount of THCa that converts to THC is 70%, but the THCa is not measurable using this method due to the temperature decearboxylizing the THCa to its psychotropic form.
Gas Chrometography combusts the material into a gassesous form and runs this gas through filtration which is able to measure the compound levels. I Showed below a picture diagram showing these systems. Because this is the "decarbed" product meaning heat was applied to convert the tetrahydracannabinolic acid. The THC is all that can be measured using this approach, not the THCa and only 70% of THCa is converted in this process. However knowing that 70% of THCa converts to THC we can sus out the levels of both using this approach.
It is impossible to know what that initial amount of THCa was of which 70% gets converted. Cannabis confirmation of analysis testing is very complex and has many seeming double negatives and odd measuremnet standards. One of these as a good example is less than the limit of quantitation. This means that the compound is present but can't be measured in accurate levels.
Liquid chrometography is a secondary method used to produce the confirmation of analysis you find on most states cannabis Product, atleast for the medicinal cannabis products in my state. Liquid chrometography takes advantage of a universal formula used to determine the amount of THCa that gets converted to THC.
The Universal Mathematical formula is as follows.
THC TOTAL= (%THCa) X 0.877 + (%THC)
If we remember looking back, approximately 12% of THCa is lost in the extraction process, during decarboxylation. That approximates at 0.877 which is equivalent to 87.7%. 87.8 + 12 leaves 99.8%. I am not exactly certain about the .2% leftover. I will update when i do learn ablut this fact. When the carboxyl group is removed and hydrogen atom preserved a 12% reduction occurs in THCa and other active cannabinoids, those exsisiting as an acid naturally like CBGa are converted as well.
This is how the ACTUAL levels are measured in order to understand the real potnecy of the product your using. THCa for example require a temperature exposure of 220° F for 30-45 mins before decarbing begins. The key for some decarbing processes is to manipulate atmospheric pressures to lower the boiling points and flash points of cannabinoid temperatures in order to ensure the partial flashing over (that is decarbing) takes place but doesn't degrade the product. Control of atmospheric pressure is necessary so that terpenes are not evaporated as some terpnenes begin to flash over at right around 100°F. A rotovap is one way this is done for which there is a diagram below as well, showing the liquid bath and erlyn myer flask (flask with bulbous bottom). Or in a VTA wipe decarboxylationprocess. .
THCa decarbs at approximately 220° F and CBDa decarbs at approximately 245°F, exposure time being approximately 90 minutes. To keep terpenes from evaporating it is necessary to extend the length of time one runs decarbozylation process in order to lower the temperature. A chart exsists to show heat vs time and the relative output thereof i included below. According to my research the optimal temperature for THCa decarboxylation is between 252° & 293°F.
If you plan to exsist on the Recreational market as a processor of cannabis or as an individual processing your own cannabis, decarboxylation is absolutely necessary to compete with big indisytry and make cannabis product containing desired terpenes.

 While decarbing can be done ignoring the evaporation of terpenes, which is why there is the issue of adding terpenes in some processing it is best to try to keep these terps especially if competing In a state where medicinal multi million dollar industry is operating. 

Advoc8 always
Meduc8 daily
FOLLOW UR NOSE 👃 WHERE THE TERPENES GOES.

Nefertari D. Cobra's confrontation with the Gorosei, Imu's revelation about Alabasta's lost queen, her sudden choice, her "blunder" and all the other arc themes joined in the mix could be the keys to some of One Piece's largest mysteries: What is the Ancient Kingdom? Why did a rebellion and war breakout? Why was a void a century necessary? Who is Imu? What is "D."?
Fill in the blanks with your knowledge of existing One Piece lore from previous arcs but hear me out:
What if the Ancient Kingdom for many years was a collection slave-making and trading smaller "kingdoms"? Citizens lived either in acceptance or in fear which is why this way of life was never questioned. Slaves of different races also get to earn their freedom by battling it out in the arena, similar to that of Dressrossa.
This was their way of life until a certain slave started gaining popularity for his immense strength and character. This slave (JB) gained his freedom (either by being victorious in gladiatorial battle or by seizing his freedom) and started liberating other slaves, eventually building a grand alliance composed of different races. By partaking in a ceremonial sakazuki ceremony, the grand alliance of freed slaves became bonded under the banner of "D."
This D. alliance with their combined strength became a force that threatened the "great ruler" of the Ancient Kingdom with the demands of freeing everyone and abolishing slavery. As the former Ruler of the Ancient Kingdom adopts the demands of the D., the rulers of the smaller kingdoms who benefitted from slavery thought of this move as a sign of weakness and sought to topple the Ruler.
But first, there must be enough justification to do the coup, hence a great lie was fabricated. A total of 20 kingdoms believed thr lie and banded together for this coup. But because of the natural strength of the D clan, they were forced to seek other means to get strong. They found and made a deal with the Devil (Imu) who gave them "fruits" that would give them extraordinary powers to defeat the D's in exchange for ruling over the world while allowing them to revert to their old practices, including slavery. The war tragically ended with the successful coup, the defeat and the annihilation of the D.'s. As the D.'s knew there is a possibility they could not survive the incoming revolt and war, they decided to write the history and directions to a place where truth can be revealed in the form of poneglyphs
Along with the 20 kingdom's victory, a century-long project of cleansing enemies, followed by the purging and rewriting history commenced. Except they did were not able to account for 1 person. Nefertari D. Lily.
Queen Lily from Alabasta initially swore allegiance to the D.'s and joined the Sakazuki ceremony. But after being blinded by the Great Lie, she changed allegiances, betrayed the D.'s and joined the revolt of the 20 kingdoms. Eventually, she saw through the lie and saw that the throne is not empty as the Devil itself rule the world so, in her final act of contrition for her betrayal, facilitated the release of the poneglyphs to scatter to different parts of the world to keep the history and the directions safe at the cost of her own life and inability to return to her kingdom.
Fast forward to today, the ghosts of the past now haunt Imu as reincarnations of the characters from centuries ago are reappearing leading to a great war of righting wrongs, retribution, and liberation.
It was right under our noses this whole time.

(Part 2/2) I went on two trips with a friend and caught feelings. Now she’s moving and might get back with her old bf
…I left and she ended up going to Madrid because she had a week until she started at her new job and wanted to see some old friends and a professor at her old university to ask about starting a PHD program that the professor had previously invited her to. We kept in very close contact for a few days and then started talking a bit less frequently. The same thing happened after New York. I didn’t really mind it either because I was really busy with my class and I didn’t want us to get bored of each other like I did with my high school girlfriend when trying to do long distance.
Well I noticed that she hadn’t posted on her Instagram story in a few days which was weird because she usually posts every day when she’s traveling. I opened up her profile to see that none of her story highlights were there. The only explanation I could come up with was that she blocked me from her story. The next day she posts a picture of her at a roof top bar and a guy comments on it something along the lines of “always great to see you.”
She had mentioned that she had some sort of a relationship with a Peruvian guy while she lived in Madrid. The guy who commented that ended up being Peruvian.
We had went back and forth texting every day for a week after leaving Rome and then she didn’t respond for about 4 days. The four days lined up roughly with when the picture would have been taken so I assume halfway through her trip to Madrid she started hanging out with him a lot. She finally responded the same night as the post and asked how my class was going and told me that she was back in Italy and about to start work, I was a little mad that she had blocked me from her story and went right to hanging out with this guy after I thought we had a really special time. I was also really stressed from the workload of my class so I waited a few days until I was level headed to respond. When I responded I didn’t mention any of it. I asked how her job was going and said that I had a really long drive home from my class in a couple of days and would love to call and catch up with her on the drive (she mentioned before I left Italy that she wanted to talk on the phone with me a lot over the summer).
That was three days ago and she never answered. I tried calling anyways because I called up a bunch of my friends on my ride home and she didn’t answer. I still haven’t heard anything from her and I’m still blocked from her story.
I’m starting to think that with the PHD coming up she’s hedging her bets that a relationship with the Peruvian guy in the same city makes a lot more sense. I understand that but my feelings are hurt if that’s the case. We had such a good time and I feel like I connected with her better than anyone I had ever met. I guess all I can do is wait and see what happens. I was hoping to visit her at the end of the summer at her new job like she had asked me at the end of our last trip but if she doesn’t respond for days at a time and I can’t see her stories then I guess that won’t happen.
From the time she mentioned her old high school boyfriend in New York, to when she asked me to either stay or take her with me back to america, and now to her hanging out with this Peruvian guy again, I get the feeling that she really has no idea who to trust or what to do with her life. I completely understand that because I felt the same way about just about every relationship from the start of college until I went to New York with her, but I can’t help but be sad by this because I have genuine feelings for her and I find it hard to believe other guys she might be giving similar consideration to all feel the same way.
The silly thing is that for the first time in college I felt I had a purpose for what I was doing. I landed an internship with a guy who promised me the ability to work from home if I stayed with them after the internship and took a CAD course. I have an EU passport and although I didn’t mention this to her (beyond saying that I wanted to work remotely and travel after I graduated) I genuinely wanted to bring her with me. I felt a genuine desire outside of simply not being a failure to do well in school for the first time. I don’t know how to feel about anything now and am honestly spiraling a bit.
Now I’m back in my hometown for the summer and seeing all of my friends who never broke up with their high school girlfriends. I’ve felt superior to them for a while now because I thought I had some sort of a future with this amazing foreign girl who was objectively way more attractive than their girlfriends and in my opinion a lot more fun. Now I just feel lonely looking at all of them. I guess I’m asking what sort of mindset I should approach this whole thing with. My plan for months had been to try to land a remote job and ask her to join me for a trip and then go from there. If she won’t even talk to me regularly or let me see her story I guess that’s out the window. She was a big part of the direction I wanted to take in life and honestly had become my main motivation. The idea of changing my mindset is scary because the time before we started those phone calls where she taught me Italian was a pretty dark time. How should I approach this whole situation in terms of mindset and actions?

Sorry for the rant and sorry if I’m not using reddit properly (total noob here). Am keen to hear all stories/tips/experiences.
TL;DR: MIL is furious we aren’t allowing visitors to see our newborn in hospital or home until we’re ready. Entire pregnancy has been a total emotional/psychological drain already. Sisters are equally painful. Why are people who DGAF about you pre or during pregnancy suddenly obsessed with your baby and take every boundary as a personal offence?? Are they really that clueless?
Today my partner and I told MIL that we weren’t having any visitors at hospital or the home until we were ready. For whatever odd reason, MIL assumed she was exempt from this?! and my partner made it clear it applied to everyone. She promptly left our house in a mood.
I wouldn’t say I have a bad relationship with MIL, I’ve always looked up to her a lot and found her empowered tbh. But lbr, she’s never actually made the effort to get to know me or talk to me properly beyond anything superficial. Most convos centre around her. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it a little hurtful or weird but overtime I just figured “eh whatever, she’s a decent hearted person. She doesn’t find me interesting but my partner does, so whatever”. During pregnancy, she’s mostly talked about herself and her own pregnancy and only today did she ask me any questions about me - it was like being asked “how are you?” by a distant coworker who isn’t actually interested in the answer. She also didn’t know about my birthday but I figured my partner tipped her off when she arrived with a gift. It was pretty obvious/cringy she only wanted to say hello to my bump and talk about herself - which she largely did. Like I said - I’ve never thought anything bad about her, I’ve just found it bizarre that she’s so transparent about pretending to care about me and my partner when all she wants is to see a newborn. Why on earth would someone who seems so intelligent be so dismissive of our needs? We aren’t making rules up to piss people off or hurt anyone.
Now with my sisters. Sister A has three gorgeous daughters, she really lucked out with them. She’s fairly self absorbed but she has (every now and then) messaged to see how I’m going, even if it’s mostly to contact about something else. Sister B doesn’t have kids of her own but is baby/child obsessed. To the point where she resides with Sister A’s family and is practically their live in nanny. The girls adore their Aunty (no surprise as she’s great with them) and I’ve always thought “really weird set up, wouldn’t work for me but do your thing”. During my pregnancy, Sister B has occasionally sent a “how are you and Bub going?” text. Once again, very much like a random coworker. Any time I’ve mentioned concerns about my pregnancy, Sister A has minimised the heck out of it and Sister B (who seems to have zero life experience) just doesn’t engage in the convo (ie no follow up questions or anything to demonstrate curiosity or care).
My pregnancy (and I guess lots of others have been/are in the same boat) has been the most effortful/difficult/mentally and physically draining thing I’ve ever done so far (I’m sure the birth will be a breeze, hah!) I have a health condition that is best summarised (with genuinely no exaggeration) as: I have to manually keep myself alive. Whilst pregnant, I have to manually keep alive myself AND Bub - no waiting 9 months for that, hah! This health condition is already like having an unpredictable toddler around 24/7. Hence my partner and I agreed to no visitors until we’re ready - the mental/emotional drain of the actual pregnancy plus Covid and all the other crappy bugs floating around atm just makes me not want to be around anyone until my mind and body are ok so I can be the best for my child, keep them safe, and actually put up with company.
Throughout my entire pregnancy, my health concerns have either been minimised or completely ignored. Neither sister takes Covid (or any sickness) seriously (the beauty of health privilege that Sister B doesn’t acknowledge having). We asked all family to mask up around us and to RAT test. Sister A and husband did once, Sister B NEVER did. Sister A’s kids are little snot factories and didn’t test either (“it’s just a sniffle from daycare/school”). Throughout my entire adolescence and adulthood, Sister B has been cruel, indifferent, rude or wilfully ignorant about my health. She accuses me of being a victim… but according to her, worldview, “NO ONE should express their feelings” and “NO ONE should cry”. Yep, she has said these two things and she seems to live by them.
I’m mostly mentally prepared to send my family a text message re no visitors and I personally DGAF about my sisters’ reactions, I already expect them to be shitty and take offence. But I’m a bit disappointed that MIL took it so personally… is this normal???!! But really, WTAF is wrong with people and their lack of empathy and boundaries??? What is it about newborns that triggers this craziness and complete lack of self awareness and respect for others?

I'm an atheist, for obvious reasons. I'm recently single, trying to re build my life and social circle. Friday night I was with my kids at a playground, started chatting with some other parents, an hour later their offering me freezies and beer. Large pro life, every life matters, god hates murder sign on their lawn. Otherwise these folks where incredibly friendly. People I'd probably enjoy hanging out with on the regular, plus they live a block from my house. I was thinking "shit I bet their church has an incredible social circle".
I took my daughter to see the little mermaid with one of her friends. One thing leads to another and we get invited to a family party her friend is having. Big BBQ, packed with 45 people I've never met before and a brief prayer circle before dinner. Their Filipino, 7 of them spoke enough English to be able to converse with. My daughter and i had a hell of a good time, we where there for like 6 hours. Incredibly friendly and hospitable people. The fact I don't speak their language was a very minor barrier.
Given past experiences I haven't bothered trying to be friends with devout folks. However for the second time in two days it crossed my mind to check out their churches for the social aspect. You fellas have any success stories of bridging that religious gap while trying to meet new people?

So yeah, I've been seeing posts like this for the last two years and it makes me want to SHIT A SEMI-TRUCK. I don't get how people are spoon-fed SO MUCH HORNY to believe that EVERY SINGLE PIXAR MOM has a DUMP TRUCK ASS. The majority of people always pin me back on THIS CHARACTER which, for a fact, is not even a PIXAR CHARACTER, it's from a DISNEY SHORT. So today I'm gonna show you all the Pixar moms that are qualifiable for with or without ASS. The majority of them, spoilers, have NO ASS.
Toy Story
Andy's mom. TELL ME there's ASS THERE. TELL ME.
A Bug's Life
You look me in the eyes and tell me thorax is ASS. YOU TELL ME WITH A STRAIGHT FACE.
Toy Story 2
Same flat mom. Same FLAT ASS.
Monster's Inc.
The monsters must've scared all the MOMS away because there's NONE HERE.
Finding Nemo
There's only a mom and her child in the dentist, with no ASS. I'm NOT gonna mention Marlin's wife or any of the other fish parents in the movie, because they are FUCKING FISH.
Incredibles
Ok, moving on.
Cars
Even if there were moms here, Do you wanna call this ASS? DO YOU WANT TO CALL THIS ASS?
Ratatouille
Nobody has mothers in this movie, not even this filthy RAT.
Wall-E
How does ANYONE on this ship have CHILDREN to BEGIN WITH? If you wanna say they have a big ass, I don't know, go off I guess?
Up
Ellie couldn't HAVE children, and Russel's mom is LONG GONE. DO NOT COUNT KEVIN.
Toy Story 3
Andy's mom STILL AIN'T GOT CHEEK GOING ON but Bonny's mom, mmmmmm, She got a lil' something.
Cars 2
🚗
Brave
Where do you seer on this queen there's a fat rrrrroyal ASS there? No, not the bear.
Monster's University
Are you CRAZY? GET OUT OF HERE.
Inside Out
Riley's mom- oh, ok.. ok... she's got a lil'something... ok.. not gonna lie, i'm not gonna LIE💦
The Good Dinosaur
Eh, WHAT? WHAT?
Finding Dory
There's only a short shot between the two moms, and every other mom is a FISH.
Cars 3
🚗
Coco
Y'all need your eyes checked. These are ALL mothers. And this one is literally BONES.
Incredibles 2
eh, nevermind.
Toy Story 4
Aside from Bonny's mom, ya got this woman in the store and the one that lost her kid, neither of them have NOTHING.
Onward
Alright. Alright. I GET IT.
Soul
You are ALL off of your ROCKERS.
Luca
Whether she's human or not, she's STILL a GIANT FISH.
Turning Red
Her mom has... something of an ass, but dont get me started on her panda form.
(I have not watched Lightyear)
Misinform people about Pixar mom's ass again and I'm gonna KILL YOU WITH MY OWN FAT ASS.
Edit: TL;DR for those who asked, a 3 of the pixar moms have something of a ass

My ex bf and I did no contact literally for 1 day haha, and since then we’ve been talking a bit more and more. We want to continue our friendship since that’s how our relationship departed from, but it’s starting to feel wrong.
The main reason we broke up was bc of distance, and he wanted to give me a relationship I deserved with more time for us (his college is really demanding and he might fail the year), and we even started to get a bit distant a couple of weeks before breaking up.
But now he is giving me the time and having long hours calls and even today he called me to sleep “together” (which it’s been a while since we did that) And now I don’t know what to do, we both know there are feelings there but we won’t go back together bc of distance and time, but right now he is doing time and it’s so confusing.
Yesterday we talked about our boundaries as friends, but I think apart from the intimate part, the emotional part is also as important. Although this is egoistic, I don’t want to like someone else, but I know I won’t die if I do that, and I also don’t want him to forget me, but I also want him to have a relationship where the distance isn’t hurting.
Help ahhh
I don’t know if to go no contact for a couple of weeks/month or idk Help :((((

I am pretty new to posting on reddit. I feel the need to post how I am feeling lately. The reason I want to express myself here, is because when I do so with my friends I feel guilty. I feel embarrassed and regretful when I express my feelings to people.
I feel disappointed in my self right in this moment. I feel that the 23 years I’ve lived was wasteful. I feel as if I have done everything wrong. From small trivial mistakes, to catastrophic ones. Today that is what I feel. Tomorrow may be different, I never know. I understand it is apart of the human condition to make mistakes. To be sad. To feel lost and empty. But there are days where I feel like I won’t make it. I feel so embarrassed. I feel naked in front of the world and I can hear their whispers, critiquing every inch of my body. Every flaw.
Please don’t think I feel sorry for my self. In fact I think i might deserve this. I think my suffering is my karma.
Anyways, I’ve never done this before. I have never posted something like this so forgive me if I made mistakes or didn’t follow the rules! And sorry if I’m redundant I just got back from a bone thugs & harmony concert haha