Nick M Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 If my Westfield was doing 200mph the *last* thing I'd be worrying about was some dragster beating me to the finish line !! Quote
Blatman Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 You wanna try strapping a couple of old JATO rockets to the roll bar. In fact, I'm sure I've read about som-one who did that, with some success but ending in massive failure.... Quote
Nick M Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 Have you seen the web-site about the possible story behind the Darwin Awards myth ?? Even if it's not true it was one of the funniest things I'd read in a long time. I'll see if I can find it. Quote
Blatman Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 Yes, I think I have. IIRC it's a looooong read, written by a teacher or lecturer, who I think claims to be the originator of several internet legends......... Quote
Nick M Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 Ding - that's the one. Don't mind if it's true or not, it was still bl**** funny !! Quote
Blatman Posted May 21, 2004 Posted May 21, 2004 Yup. Clearly wasted (both meanings! ) as a teacher...... Quote
Pepi Posted May 21, 2004 Author Posted May 21, 2004 I saw Slammin Sammy Millar at the pod in the late seventies early eighties driving a rocket car. The engine was a peroxide powered ex lunar landing one. basically fuel is poured onto a crystal where it converts to a gas and drives the car forward. Seeing this go IIRC 295 in the quarter was awesome. There was just a whoosh and it was gone. Apparantly he was limited to 300mph as the g force made him black out otherwise. The maddest thing I saw was a dutchamn called hen vink, who had a smaller version of the rocket on a bike!!! Two top fullers or funny cars truley spectacular. I too saw "Slammin Sammy Miller" run at Santa Pod. This was in the days when Top fuelers were doing about 220-240 terminal speeds and he rolls out in his rocket car and does 317mph. I was absolutely awestruck.....and the sound of the thing......being a rocket there is no sound at all, and then its as if an explosion has happened and the car is past and through the lights before you know it.......if you blink you miss it!!!! Quote
cast iron Posted May 22, 2004 Posted May 22, 2004 A simillar article was in Engine Technology, more facts are The eight exhaust pipes sweptup produce 1000lbs of downforce The tyres run at 6.5PSI The blocks are machined from solid No engine electronics are allowed Everything dates back to the 60's The original supercharger Mounting charged the front more than the rear so they used shorter rods on the front and longer at the rear From the cam starting to push the pushrod to the valve opening is 30 degrees due to the cylinder compression Quote
Pepi Posted May 22, 2004 Author Posted May 22, 2004 Its the revs from light to light that blows me away, 540 revs that can't be right can it? But if you do the maths ........launch revs 5000, max revs 9500 so an average must be oh around 7250? ok 7250 divided by 60 to get revs per second = 120.83 per second.....then multiply by 4.477= 540.95 revs light to light .........awesome is'nt it? Quote
JonnyBoy Posted May 22, 2004 Posted May 22, 2004 Concorde travels fast.... faster than it takes my words to leave my mouth and reach your ears" how did they hear him then Quote
david.c Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 Its the revs from light to light that blows me away, 540 revs that can't be right can it? But if you do the maths ........launch revs 5000, max revs 9500 so an average must be oh around 7250? ok 7250 divided by 60 to get revs per second = 120.83 per second.....then multiply by 4.477= 540.95 revs light to light .........awesome is'nt it? Thats the one that got me aswell. I too, got my calculator out David Quote
Nick M Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 It's also worth remembering with Concorde that at Mach 2.0 it's travelling faster than a bullet from a gun. Which is, of course, why they never developed a military version of Concorde - because it it opened fire it would shoot itself down !! *courtesy of David Gunson - What Goes Up, Might Come Down Quote
Blatman Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 I've been on Concorde you know....... and the "amazing facts" are broadcast from the cockpit about every half an hour...... To (badly) quote Clarkson, who was interviewed after the final flight: "The aviation industry has just take a giant leap 30 years in to the past." Quote
Nick M Posted May 24, 2004 Posted May 24, 2004 Me too - was lucky enough to fly back from New York on Concorde after a business trip a few years back. It was *sooo* much more enjoyable knowing I hadn't paid a penny for the pleasure !! Quote
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