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ThrustSSC at the Desert Pits
having set the first ever supersonic World Land Speed Record. )Image source:
thrustssc.com)
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Whale Gollee, where has the time gone, eh?
For Mwah, the most entertaining part 'bout
recollectin' ThrustSSC's momentous accomplishment, besides the good natured
daily ribbings I endured from a Bloody Brit' Cohort, named John I believe?
As I can vaguely
recall his vocal English Colloquialism and wearing glasses a la another Brit named John
Lennon; but I digress...
Is not only knowing exactly where I was, but
what Hit song was "Top of The Pops!" At least for me, as it was Dr.
Feelgood by Motley Crue.
VIDEO: Dr. Feelgood - Song
As I mostly recall somehow, sometime,
somewheres' watchin' video footage of the ThrustSSC's Supersonic Wake being
shown via motorized hang gliders showing the Black Rock Desert Sands vortices...
Whilst I also recall that the record for
breaking the sound barrier would have Officially occurred on October 14, 1997, exactly
50 years after Chuck Yeager was the first person to accomplish the feat, but...
Although RAF Fighter pilot Squadron Commander
Andy Green made two sonic booms that day, the record wasn't official, since due
to issues stopping on the first run from a troublesome parachute causing
ThrustSSC to overshoot stopping by some 1.5 miles on Nevada's Black Rock
Desert!
ThrustSSC required 61 minutes to turn around
for the second run and hence broke the rules allowing only 60mins maximum!
But never fear, Andy Green successfully
completed a two-way run the following day, becoming the first person to break
the sound barrier on land by averaging 763.035mph.
As it's easy to
forget how quickly history overlooks Andy Green's first record run of simply
breaking the current land speed record, then held by his boss Sir Richard Noble,
set 14yrs earlier.
When Messer Green became
the first person to surpass the 700mph mark when he recorded a two-way pass
averaging 714.144mph on September 25, 1997...
Yet what always has fascinated me most about the ThrustSSC,
besides it's momentous accomplishments, is that the ten ton plus rocket vehicle
utilized active ride technology.
Although it's funny, since whenever I think
of Active Suspension, I immediately think of Team Willy', aka Williams Grand
Prix Engineering and those Oh, So Bloody Fast Williams F1 racecars penned by
the legendous' Adrian Newey!
As in the Williams FW14B and FW15C that 'Ol
Nige', nee Nigel Mansell and "the Professor," aka Alain Prost drove
to world championships in 1992-93 consecutively.
Which I suppose is
why, whenever I think of ThrustSSC's active ride suspension I Cornfuze Williams
with the rival Lotus Formula 1 team the project's engineer came from...
Alas, we should probably give the late Colin
Chapman and his iconic Lotus F1 Team the recognition it deserves, since as F1 Fanatic's
Keith Collantine points out, it was probably his last technical innovation
before his death.
While ironically, Ayrton Senna scored the
sport's maiden Grand Prix victory with an active suspension ride racecar, the
Lotus 99T, for which Messer Bliss was involved, at the 1987 Detroit Grand
Prix...
Whilst Y'all may be interested in strolling thru
various ThrustSSC photos...