Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

[Race5]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

I wish they still had the in cockpit video of that run up. In the one from the tail you can see him get blown off line at around 650. In the cockpit cam shot, you see him go to full oposite lock and hold it for a looooooong time to get that beast back to the centerline.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Heh-heh. Being a (former?) fighter pilot, I wonder if his feet started instinctively hunting around for rudder pedals at that point in the run.

[Race5]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Heh-heh. Being a (former?) fighter pilot, I wonder if his feet started instinctively hunting around for rudder pedals at that point in the run.

He is still a fighter pilot, and set the land speed record for diesel powered vehicles recently as well. As far as rudder pedals, I don't know what he was looking for but I'd have been looking for the yellow handles. Especially since the dang thing had rear wheel steering.

[First time Juke]

Burt Munro still rules !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_land_speed_record

Incredible speed with that Indian motorcycle !

[John]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

The dash 17 engine in the E and Navy J made 11870 dry and 17900 in full burner. How is Fossest getting 22000? Although I heard from Mr. Gililland in a checkered flag club talk that Greenamyer somehow hot rodded the J-79 to higher power when he set his records he didn't elaborate,but 22000 is about what the a spey makes. But then the fuselage needs to be widened.

Roh

Ron, I think they said something about using water injection, gasoline, and proper mixture for the J-79. That is one big engine.

[John]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

http://www.bluebird-electric.net/blue_flame.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record

Aah, the Blue Flame Rocket Car, that one inspired a lot of doodling in in class during elementary school days.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Same here. I was in the fifth grade when the 622 mph record was set, and I drew pics of that car on my binder cover.

I even entertained thoughs of making a working model using a Estes model rocket running along a string nailed down on both ends, but I never pursued the project (probably a good thing I didn't, heh-heh).

[speeddemon]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

I even entertained thoughs of making a working model using a Estes model rocket running along a string nailed down on both ends, but I never pursued the project (probably a good thing I didn't, heh-heh).

WOW...I did something similar....and it was right after the Budweiser Rocket Car did its thing. I took an Estes rocket and weighed down the bottom and put it on 'skids'. I wanted to run it across a frozen lake in our neighborhood during the winter. A family friend had 'access' to the private lake...but those years I was waiting it never froze. Bummer.

[blacksheep]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

would you believe Estes makes a ready to run rocket car now

In my younger day I mounted a large jetex rocket engine on an old slot car chassis . When I lite it off the first few feet were fine then we went airborne and landed on the roof of a near by business , great idea ugly results

[Propellerhead]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Anyone else remember that the original Estes rocket cars were cold rockets powered by environmentally friendly freon?

http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/nostalgia/77est048.html

Ready for some more memories of Estes past?

http://www.ninfinger.org/~sven/rockets/nostalgia/77estcat.html

The vac-formed Space Shuttle didn't fly so much as plummet. But the fictional "Orbital Transport" sure worked as advertised. I never did get enough flights out of that one before I got too old to be messing with model rockets.

Anyone else build the "Andromeda?"

[First time Juke]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Yesterday I received a copy of the Technics World ( Tekniikan Maailma ) and I realised the record for a piston engined car on a ice covered surface is 327 km/h ~203 mph. Done by a rally legend Juha Kankkunen driving a Bentley Continental ( povered by engine derived from twin RV6 V6 engines kinda line an W-engine ). Car was equipped with NOKIA spiked winter tyres ( Nokia used to make tyres long before cell phones ).

Somehow I have a haunch this automotive record could be broken with less investments than the Andy Green SCCThrust record.

[Stevo]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

Anyone else build the "Andromeda?"

I always wanted the AstroCam 110 and the Mean Machine... never did get them though I did build a Space Shuttle version that didn't have the booster rocket attachment, the SR-71 and a whole host of regular rockets. For a while I was building quite a few 1/2A sized rockets but after loosing everyone of them (those things get small REAL quick) I gave that up. I still have a couple hidden away in a closet somewhere, maybe one of these days I'll pull them out and give them a launch just for old time sake.

[DPK2]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

I came up with the same idea for an Estes powered rocket car back in my Junior High/High School days. I built one out of balsa and wheels from old model cars in a slingshot dragster style. Stretch out a piece of monofiliment and it worked great. My brother and cousins got in on the idea and build ones also. We used to race them side by side down our porch! We even put parachutes on slip rings down at the end to slow the cars. Worked great. An estes A motor worked just right. We had lots of fun. I will have to do it with my kids when they get older.

David

[wolfee]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

before I got too old to be messing with model rockets.

You can be too old o play with modle rockets? Dont tell that to the folks that go out to Black Rock every year....


I had several of those rockets from the catalog. Including, the Marse lander, Shuttle, Moon lander, SR-71, and others.
But the best rockets I ever had were the ones I built myself from scratch.

I made a 2 stage rocket that used a single C stage booster, and then lit off a D engine for the main stage. The rocket stood aprox 4.5' tall and lifted off very slowly with the C engine. I designed it that way so we can see the accual stage seperation.

that Rocket must have flown 10 time before I caught fire. lol. But boy was it a fun rocket to fly.

[Skyracer]

Re: Steve Fossett to go 800 mph !

And let's not forget Breedlove's "Spirit of America" (three wheels and a tailfin). Many hours of High School doodling were inspired by that one.

Then there were all the great model rockets, sleds, and cars (teather and string chasers) powered by a CO2 cartridge.