Landspeed Record

Forgive me if I’m off the mark here, and really… well done for trying, but it just doesn’t seem like cricket too me!

You can hardly call it a car… Strapping some wheels onto starfighter a cutting the wings off – I don’t see much in the way of design.

I don’t like to criticise people for having a go, but if this method works, then and starfighter, mig 21 etc etc is a potential work record holder.

Forgive me if I’m off the mark here, and really… well done for trying, but it just doesn’t seem like cricket too me!

You can hardly call it a car… Strapping some wheels onto starfighter a cutting the wings off – I don’t see much in the way of design.

I don’t like to criticise people for having a go, but if this method works, then and starfighter, mig 21 etc etc is a potential work record holder.

Yep – And not just Yeager: Crossfield, Engle, Bill Dana and many more of the famous names from that period at Edwards. Among other things, it was a chase plane for the X15 programme. I think there is a list of pilot names on the car somewhere.

Yep – And not just Yeager: Crossfield, Engle, Bill Dana and many more of the famous names from that period at Edwards. Among other things, it was a chase plane for the X15 programme. I think there is a list of pilot names on the car somewhere.

Tail numba 763 (the currant LSR) and it woz flown by Chuck Yeager at some point! (maybe its a gud omen!)

Tail numba 763 (the currant LSR) and it woz flown by Chuck Yeager at some point! (maybe its a gud omen!)

I wish them luck. I hope I am wrong but “buy the farm” always comes into my brain when F104s are mentioned.

I wish them luck. I hope I am wrong but “buy the farm” always comes into my brain when F104s are mentioned.

I’ve been following their project from the start: I love the spirit and dedication – but they’ve had the car running for about seven years now and I don’t think they’ve got much above 300 mph: with lots of problems and bad luck along the way. I believe there’s more test runs tentatively pencilled in for the Spring – so hopefully things will come together for them.

It is a seriously edgy project though. Can’t remember where I read it but someone once wrote that “the only way that thing will break the soundbarrier will be end-over-end in a ball of flame.” And you do wonder…

I’ve been following their project from the start: I love the spirit and dedication – but they’ve had the car running for about seven years now and I don’t think they’ve got much above 300 mph: with lots of problems and bad luck along the way. I believe there’s more test runs tentatively pencilled in for the Spring – so hopefully things will come together for them.

It is a seriously edgy project though. Can’t remember where I read it but someone once wrote that “the only way that thing will break the soundbarrier will be end-over-end in a ball of flame.” And you do wonder…

Picking up on the phrase ‘been around for years’ it’s interesting to note the similarity of ages of the ‘equipment’ for current land speed record attempt i.e. a F104 fuselage and a previous idea of using another aircraft fuselage from the same aviation era.

This concerns the fuselage of Supermarine Swift WK277, which is now on loan at Newark and before it came to the museum in the late 1960s Dizzy Addicott had a Rolls-Royce powered design for a similar attempt back in the 1960s.

Picking up on the phrase ‘been around for years’ it’s interesting to note the similarity of ages of the ‘equipment’ for current land speed record attempt i.e. a F104 fuselage and a previous idea of using another aircraft fuselage from the same aviation era.

This concerns the fuselage of Supermarine Swift WK277, which is now on loan at Newark and before it came to the museum in the late 1960s Dizzy Addicott had a Rolls-Royce powered design for a similar attempt back in the 1960s.

As for the chaps comment about inventing technology through the development of their braking system that could be used to transport cars at hundreds of miles per hour…….. Unless I’m very much mistaken that’s just maglev and has been around for years and has nothing to do with them or their brakes.

As for the chaps comment about inventing technology through the development of their braking system that could be used to transport cars at hundreds of miles per hour…….. Unless I’m very much mistaken that’s just maglev and has been around for years and has nothing to do with them or their brakes.

While you have to admire the get up and go of these people the thrust SSC and bloodhound teams do make them look like a load of blokes tinkering in a shed at the weekend. I particularly love the finalising of the aerodynamic configuration by means of a marker pen drawing on a White board!

Having said all that it doesn’t mean they won’t succeed but any record they set won’t last long 🙂

While you have to admire the get up and go of these people the thrust SSC and bloodhound teams do make them look like a load of blokes tinkering in a shed at the weekend. I particularly love the finalising of the aerodynamic configuration by means of a marker pen drawing on a White board!

Having said all that it doesn’t mean they won’t succeed but any record they set won’t last long 🙂

Thrust SSC’s body design was designed from the start to optimise staying on the ground – I wonder how this new vehicle will cope since there doesn’t seem to be much inherent downforce in the F-104, which was designed to go up rather quickly?

Those solid wheels are nothing new – Harley-Davidson have been doing it for decades…;)

Thrust SSC’s body design was designed from the start to optimise staying on the ground – I wonder how this new vehicle will cope since there doesn’t seem to be much inherent downforce in the F-104, which was designed to go up rather quickly?

Those solid wheels are nothing new – Harley-Davidson have been doing it for decades…;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgpV7zbvLxg&feature=related

Video of it doing it’s thing in the desert, and also footage of the original somewhat weary looking airframe. They have done nice resoration job on that fuselage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgpV7zbvLxg&feature=related

Video of it doing it’s thing in the desert, and also footage of the original somewhat weary looking airframe. They have done nice resoration job on that fuselage.