The Land and Water Speed Records Thread

[yoof full chav]

Life Saab Itch said:

FunkyNige said:

I don't understand how you can claim a world record by cycling on rollers, wouldn't that be like going for the car world record on a rolling road?

Quite. Why not eliminate friction and just jack the back wheel up. I reckon I could beat the unofficial record that way.

Thats why i think rompelberg's record of 167.034mph(i think) is still classed as the LSR for bicycles

[chevronb37]

I know it's ubiquitous, but how unutterably awesome is this photo?

[Life Saab Itch]

chevronb37 said:

I know it's ubiquitous, but how unutterably awesome is this photo?

I hope we can see a Bloodhound one like that soon.

[chevronb37]

But did this do it first? Personally I suspect not, but the Edwards Air Force base must've seen all manner of things the public has never found out about...

Fully agree re Bloodhound - Andy Green and Richard Noble are both fantastic characters. I think Andy Green is one of those virtually superhuman men who makes the rest of us just look a little ordinary.

[yoof full chav]

chevronb37 said:

But did this do it first? Personally I suspect not, but the Edwards Air Force base must've seen all manner of things the public has never found out about...

Fully agree re Bloodhound - Andy Green and Richard Noble are both fantastic characters. I think Andy Green is one of those virtually superhuman men who makes the rest of us just look a little ordinary.

Yep, that did actually go supersonic back in the day, long before SSC did, but they only ran it one way, hence why it will never be classified as the first supersonic car, no matter how much brock yates whines about it

[dr_gn]

yoof full chav said:

chevronb37 said:

But did this do it first? Personally I suspect not, but the Edwards Air Force base must've seen all manner of things the public has never found out about...

Fully agree re Bloodhound - Andy Green and Richard Noble are both fantastic characters. I think Andy Green is one of those virtually superhuman men who makes the rest of us just look a little ordinary.

Yep, that did actually go supersonic back in the day, long before SSC did, but they only ran it one way, hence why it will never be classified as the first supersonic car, no matter how much brock yates whines about it

There's a lot of debate as to whether it *did* go supersonic - even briefly. It's not the fact it only ran one way, it's the fact there was no official timing system in place, just some rather dodgy radar and accelerometer data.

[Nick M]

dr_gn said:

yoof full chav said:

chevronb37 said:

But did this do it first? Personally I suspect not, but the Edwards Air Force base must've seen all manner of things the public has never found out about...

Yep, that did actually go supersonic back in the day, long before SSC did, but they only ran it one way, hence why it will never be classified as the first supersonic car, no matter how much brock yates whines about it

There's a lot of debate as to whether it *did* go supersonic - even briefly. It's not the fact it only ran one way, it's the fact there was no official timing system in place, just some rather dodgy radar and accelerometer data.

+1 - I thought it was the latter, i.e. that they weren't 100% sure it went supersonic, and definitely couldn't prove it if it had.

Still, has to be one the most awesome looking 'record' cars built though !!

[yoof full chav]

Ahhh right. The way i heard it, was that stan whats his name who drove the car said he did, the us air force confirmed he did, and so they thought they were king dicks. Until the governing body of LSR's said uh uh, no way jose, and brock yates has been whining about it ever since, but especially when someone said about thrust ssc, he properly stamped his feet and threw his toys out. Ah well, anyway, they claim to be the first, but arent.

[Nick M]

yoof full chav said:

Ah well, anyway, they claim to be the first, but arent.

Well, they *might* be...

[yoof full chav]

Nick M said:

yoof full chav said:

Ah well, anyway, they claim to be the first, but arent.

Well, they *might* be...

Not officially they arent, and anyway, the americans would have to be the *first* as they couldnt be seen to be beaten by little ole britain, not when they are the finest nation on earth, and the first with everything boy

Edited by yoof full chav on Wednesday 26th January 17:35

[chevronb37]

John Cobb in Crusader at Loch Ness.

[Alicatt1]

[quote=chevronb37]John Cobb in Crusader at Loch Ness.

I pass his memorial on Loch Ness when I travel home, my father first showed me the memorial when I was just 3 years old, not exactly sure of the date but it was arround the time my brother was born in 1959. The water speed record has claimed a few lives over the years, must take a special breed of person to do it.
R.I.P. John Cobb

[chevronb37]

He must've been a most remarkable man. What is strange is that to judge him by today's standards he would be considered barbaric due to his position in the fur trade.

[yoof full chav]

Despite being fascinated by all things LSR and WSR, and being an avid motorsport fan, i think i must have been in my 20's before the significance of the complex at thruxton hit home

Edited by yoof full chav on Thursday 27th January 12:32

[Snoggledog]

DJC said:

And one day, one day... I intend having a crack at in on Conniston in my own boat. The last 15yrs of my professional life mean I have the correct contacts in BAES, Rolls, EADS and Goodrich for the propulsion and FADEC systems, the aeros and the hull design. I have the contacts for getting those on the cheap. I have the basis for a design in my head.

Would be very keen to hear more.

dr_gn said:

IIRC the Quicksilver project :

http://www.quicksilver-wsr.com/

has been going for about 10 years, and is still nowhere near finished, and they've - apparently - had some very experienced world record experienced people working on it.

IMHO, I would be heading a different way.

[yoof full chav]

Stan barrett, that was the name of the guy who drove the budweiser rocket car, it has been bugging me for a while that. IIRC he was a stuntman on some of brock yates' movies(yates helped put the whole deal together IIRC) and so was chosen to pilot the thing.

[DJC]

Not sure what to say snoggle. Its an obsession.

All this stuff has been my life since before I could walk and then its been the only professional life Ive known. Digital control systems, aeros and engines, aerodynamics, structural design, cfd, materials analysis. I know a few guys I trust to work with and I can (probably) wangle the neccessary hardware out of Rolls/AEC and BAES. There is the small matter of still needing 5million quid though :P

After that? Well, you suck it and see. You dont declare you want a crack at the WSR on Conniston if you are just doing some kind of engineering exercise or PR exercise. Or even if you just fancy being a record breaker. You do it because the 5yo inside you reckons Britain has unfinished business with Conniston and the WSR. You do it because those romantic silly childish notions of what life *should* be like still exist in you.





Oh yes and you do it so you can write "Smolenski is a fking " down the side of your boat (You're damn right I bear a grudge!)

[yoof full chav]

DJC said:

Not sure what to say snoggle. Its an obsession.

All this stuff has been my life since before I could walk and then its been the only professional life Ive known. Digital control systems, aeros and engines, aerodynamics, structural design, cfd, materials analysis. I know a few guys I trust to work with and I can (probably) wangle the neccessary hardware out of Rolls/AEC and BAES. There is the small matter of still needing 5million quid though :P

After that? Well, you suck it and see. You dont declare you want a crack at the WSR on Conniston if you are just doing some kind of engineering exercise or PR exercise. Or even if you just fancy being a record breaker. You do it because the 5yo inside you reckons Britain has unfinished business with Conniston and the WSR. You do it because those romantic silly childish notions of what life *should* be like still exist in you.





Oh yes and you do it so you can write "Smolenski is a fking " down the side of your boat (You're damn right I bear a grudge!)

Well, good luck, and prove that britain is still number one for WSR holders.

[Life Saab Itch]

DJC said:

Not sure what to say snoggle. Its an obsession.

All this stuff has been my life since before I could walk and then its been the only professional life Ive known. Digital control systems, aeros and engines, aerodynamics, structural design, cfd, materials analysis. I know a few guys I trust to work with and I can (probably) wangle the neccessary hardware out of Rolls/AEC and BAES. There is the small matter of still needing 5million quid though :P

After that? Well, you suck it and see. You dont declare you want a crack at the WSR on Conniston if you are just doing some kind of engineering exercise or PR exercise. Or even if you just fancy being a record breaker. You do it because the 5yo inside you reckons Britain has unfinished business with Conniston and the WSR. You do it because those romantic silly childish notions of what life *should* be like still exist in you.





Oh yes and you do it so you can write "Smolenski is a fking " down the side of your boat (You're damn right I bear a grudge!)

I really must write that email. I doubt I would fit into the "trusted people" category, but I have a hell of an idea for sponsorship.

[chevronb37]

While trying to sort out something Bloodhound-related for my local car club, I ended up having a long telephone chat with Richard Noble. Quite enlightening and the struggle to engage mainstream industry in such an awesome project is quite sad. If there is a serious attempt for the WSR in the offing, my first sources for consultation over the realities would be Noble and Lord Drayson. We have so much brainpower in this country - and heavens knows enough money - that it could be a really successful project. All the very best with it. When you think of the scale of banker's bonuses, £5million to take such a fabulously challenging world record would seem a drop in the ocean - or water, if you will...