WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD



Progress Report No31 and Briefing

Roy S. Peters

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-Page updated 11 March 2005-



NEW CLASS-RECORDS SOUGHT

It has come to my notice that someone is after the ThrustSSC outright WLSR!! The specification and aims of the vehicle are quite appealing - and the vehicle is called 'Sonic Wind'.

A further car is expected, from the UK, to be attempting the Electric WLSR. A BlueBird from the Campbell stable - to be run on a 4-mile stretch of Pendine Sands. More about both of these projects follows.

 SONIC WIND

Static Test:

IceCar.

I have come across the following notes about the 'car' (really a 'sledge') and driver recently. They are submitted to you only slightly editted.

POWER

Sonic Wind is powered by a surplus LR-11 rocket engine that was left over from the Air Force's X-15 space plane project. It runs on liquid alcohol and liquid oxygen. Using a rocket engine has significant advantages over a jet engine, including the absence of air intakes, which increase drag. Stakes may eventually use a more powerful rocket that runs on liquid oxygen and kerosene.

CHASSIS

The monocoque is made of ballistic fiberglass, and is best described as a cross between a missile and a big dart. It has a needle-nose point to it, and at the back is an "X" wing that looks like something out of Star Wars. Stakes' will sit in a cockpit in the nose of the vehicle.

BRAKING

Sonic Wind is light and will have a fraction of the kinetic energy of jet cars such as the Spirit of America and Thrust SSC land speed vehicles. Two parachutes will be the primary method of braking. Sonic Wind also has a hydraulically operated rake that gouges the ice. It is similar to the brake used by Olympic bobsleds, only Sonic Winds is twice as large.

STEERING

The vehicle has a blade/ski combination in the front and two blades in the back. Steering is accomplished by the front blade that turns and is also an airfoil. Steering is aerodynamic as well as dynamic.

ACCELERATION

The vehicle will accelerate about 50mph/second on a constant, or a little less than the world's fastest Top Fuel dragsters. Yet Sonic Wind will accelerate at this pace all the way to 900mph.

THE TRACK

Testing of the Sonic Wind land speed vehicle begins this winter at Castle Rock Lake near Quincy,Wisconsin. The lake is approximately 17 miles long, 2 miles wide and about 10 feet deep, making it ideal for testing in the first several years. The shallow water will prevent ripples from forming in the ice as the lake freezes.

Sonic Wind will run on a uniquely prepared course. Two parallel dams constructed of snow and ice approximately 5 to 10 inches tall will border a 50-foot wide track that will run the entire length of the course. Holes drilled adjacent to the course will allow water to be pumped onto the course where it will flow evenly, freezing overnight, creating the smoothest course ever prepared for high speed runs.

A frozen lake is the perfect surface for the land speed record attempt because the only thing that has less drag than a blade on ice is teflon on teflon. Several local snowmobile clubs will prepare the course.

Running on ice has many advantages over the other land speed record teams currently competing for the coveted title of being the fastest man on earth. There is no need to invent supersonic wheels and wheel bearings, the track is a perfectly flat surface, and the speed of sound is lower in colder temperatures.

After several years of testing at Castle Rock Lake, Stakes' eventually plans to move to Lake St. Clair in Michigan, to make an attempt to break the world land speed record and the speed of sound. This is the same place where Henry Ford set a new world land speed record of 91.371mph on January 12, 1904, with a Ford-powered internal combustion engine.

STAKES READY TO PILOT 'SONIC WIND'

Hesperia, California (January 20, 1998) - On the first of February, Californian Waldo Stakes will begin testing his "Sonic Wind" composite rocket sled on a frozen lake in central Wisconsin, in his lifelong quest to become the fastest man to travel on the earth's surface.

Stakes is a twenty year veteran of land speed record racing, as a driver, crew chief and designer. He's been directly involved in 21 class land speed records.

A pioneer with a vision, Stakes is choosing to run on a frozen lake instead of the customary salt flat or dry lake bed, using a rocket-powered composite "sled" instead of traditional wheeled vehicles power by jet aircraft engines. Research and development has taken ten years.

Over the next 5-6 years, Stakes hopes to reach numerous land speed records and milestones, including the speed of sound, the world land speed record, the 800mph, 900mph and, maybe, the 1000mph barrier.

Runs this winter will be held to under 200mph while he learns what the vehicle likes and how it responds. Stakes' plans to increase speeds each of the next 5-6 years, taking his time as speeds increase to assure safety.

Made of ballistic fiberglass and aluminum, Sonic Wind is the smallest vehicle ever designed for such high-speed runs, with an empty weight of only 440 pounds, and a frontal area of just 2.8 square feet. It is 23 feet 7 inches long. Power comes from a LR-11 rocket engine from the Air Force's X-15 project, running on alcohol and liquid oxygen. A rocket has major advantages over a jet engine, including no moving parts, a fraction of the weight, and the absense of air intakes, which increase drag. Stakes may eventually run on liquid oxygen and kerosene, which could boost the vehicle beyond 1000mph. Windtunnel testing and computer simulations suggest the vehicle will accelerate about 50mph per second on a constant, all the way to 900mph. The rocket was developed by Stakes and Ken Mason, a noted bi-propellant rocket engineer.

Sonic Wind will run on a uniquely prepared course. A man-made ice-field will be formed, creating the smoothest course ever prepared for high speed runs. A frozen lake is the perfect surface, as the only thing with less drag than a blade on ice is teflon on teflon. There is no need to invent supersonic wheels and bearings.

The project has received national and international recognition, having been covered in magazines such as Popular Science, AutoWeek, The New York Times Magazine, Omni, Hot Rod Mechanix, Hot Bike, and Bonneville Racing News. It has appeared on the CBS and CNN television networks.

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INAUGURAL TESTING POSTPONED

Hesperia, California (April 13, 1998) - In early February, the team had great plans for their first trip to the ice. Sonic Wind would be put through a series of tests of steering, parachutes, brakes and controllability. Then, if all testing had been satisfactory, they would make two or three low power runs on the ice with the rocket engine pushing Sonic Wind up to speeds of 150 to 200 miles per hour.

They made the trip to Castle Rock Lake in central Wisconsin with the hopes of starting the journey to be the fastest vehicle on ice and possibly the fastest vehicle on Earth.

One little problem arose as soon as they arrived... it was too warm in Wisconsin! Waldo and crew arrived and found the ice to be unsafe. It just wasn't thick or hard enough to take the weight necessary to do testing. Day time temperatures were above the freezing mark and the snow was melting.

Even the local ice fishermen were home bound by the warm temperatures. On a lake known for its winter activities, it had an unusually barren surface with no snowmobiles and no ice shanties visible anywhere. The local paper did have a picture of a station wagon on the lake from the weeks before the team arrived... however, the picture showed half the wagon was under the ice!

A disappointed crew made the trip back west with the determination to come back next year when Mother Nature will hopefully be more agreeable to testing their rocket on the ice.

==========================================
Update on 4 April 2003

Last month, I received an EMail from WALDO informing me that he's started the "Constitution LSRV" which is a CAR-version of this quick little thing!!
He says, in his website, that "We will run Sonic Wind this winter and up until the Constitution LSRV is completed."
You can check on it at
Sonic Wind site

He claims, extremely exaggeratedly, that such a car has a "Million Horse Power LR-99 engine and will be capable of Mach 3+ " ... Pull the other leg!! I have warned him about the shock wave pulverising the surface that one runs on - even at Mach 1!!

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THE ELECTRIC BLUEBIRD

Whilst on holiday in Eire, my video was recording many things, - among them were some details on Sir Malcolm Campbell's grandson's record attempt with an earlier version of this vehicle.

BlueBird.

 
The upgraded (AD 2000) Bluebird
-----------------------------------
** Don Wales is that guy!! He is the driver and Team Leader. Other key people in the project are:-

** Martin Rees - Project Manager
** Martin Bryant - Research Co-ordinator

Don's aims with this 'electric milkfloat' are:-

a) to break his grandfather's 1920's WLSRs
b) to break the British Electric LSR (116mph)
c) to break the World Electric LSR (215mph)

The TV programme reported his weekend trials each day whilst the tide was 'out' on PENDINE SANDS; - all went well until problems prevented the vehicle's power-source from driving the car. They WILL be back, - but not as soon as they or the programme expected.




                
MEANWHILE (Early Nov 99), here are more 'clips' from the BLUEBIRD web-site.



     ** 19th Oct 1999 - Newsflash **

** 25th Oct 1999 - Newsflash **

     Don Wales and everyone in the Bluebird
     Electric Team would like to extend their
     congratulations to Pat Rummerfield and
     the White Lightning Team for setting a new
     electric landspeed record of 245.5mph at
     Bonneville on October 22nd.

FURTHER NEWS 
        (Roy 1:12:99)

	I saw from the BlueBird site, about a week ago,
that the team is 'standing down' until such time as the weather
AND vehicle can be improved so that DON can give a 'good
account' of himself and car. White Lightning certainly WENT!!



PROJECT UPDATE

          Pendine Sands, 17th June, 2000


It has been a fantastic day... every member of the team has put a lot of
effort into making it a safe and secure event.

 As you are probably aware by  now the new record achieved
in Bluebird Electric over the  measured mile which is yet to  be ratified by the RAC is
128mph. Top speeds coming  out of the measured mile  indicate we would have
broken the 146mph objective comfortably if we had been
able to complete a return run  and had more distance to run
on the beach. Unfortunately the enemy of the day was the tide, we had
insufficient time to re-charge batteries fully before a final run. It is not
generally appreciated how much time it takes to clear the beach after a
final run of all the markers and timing equipment as well as the equipment
at the pits either end.

We have some dates in mind for returning to Pendine to better our new
record... The team now have a lot to do before then to organize that next
event.

The Bluebird car worked brilliantly and is very stable on the sand. The new
cars design has proven to be a huge success.

A big party was held later and everybody are now on their way home happy
but a little worse for wear!!!

A big thank you to everybody who sent in messages of good luck to us. We
are amazed by your support. A big thank you also to the media for being
supportive.


Go to LandSpeed records page
or return to Roy's home page for full list of writings and travels either finished or under preparation.