Engineering news
Current land speed record holder Andy Green hopes to hit 200mph (322km/h) in the car at Cornwall Airport in Newquay, ahead of plans to push past 1,000mph (1,609km/h) – and the current record of 1,228km/h – in South Africa next year.
The car, described by its creators as the most complicated ever built, is “looking good” for test runs in front of media on Thursday after successful trials up to 241km/h, a spokesman told Professional Engineering.
The Bloodhound’s giant 2m aeroplane-style fin, needed to keep it on a straight line at the supersonic speeds, was fitted last week. “We are just hoping the weather will hold,” the spokesman added, with rain forecast for Wednesday but sunny spells set for Thursday.
The two scheduled high-speed runs will be the car’s first public trials after almost exactly nine years of planning. With education and outreach a main goal of the project, the team will also run demonstrations for members of the public and school pupils at the weekend and early next week.
With three engines – a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine, Nammo rocket cluster and a Jaguar Supercharged V8 – the 13.4m long vehicle will have more than 135,000 horsepower, or more than eight times the power of all the Formula 1 cars on a starting grid put together. Guzzling about 400l of jet fuel and 800l of rocket oxidiser on record attempt runs, it is hoped that it will cover a mile in just 3.6s.
The IMechE is one of a number of sponsors for the ambitious project, which it describes as “the most exciting and dynamic engineering challenge going on today”.
Our reporter Joseph Flaig will be at the test in Newquay on Thursday. Let him know your thoughts on the project by emailing joseph.flaig@caspianmedia.com.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.