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Thursday,
20th December 2001 - Windjet Stands Down for Christmas
| Due
to the current lack of wind caused by yet another lingering High pressure,
Windjet will not be running in the week prior to Christmas. |
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Our
friends at RAF Waddington are also taking some time off over the Christmas
period, so Windjet will now be in the hanger until 2nd January,
when we will return to permanent standby mode in preparation to take the
World record of 116 mph.
Thursday,
20th December 2001 - Chance of Favourable Weather Increases
Despite
the unseasonal UK weather, which has meant that only two days in the last
three months have had sufficient winds to enable high speed runs, the
Windjet team are looking forward to getting back on the
runway in January when historical data shows the highest chance of crosswinds
of any month throughout the year.
Wednesday,
19th December 2001 - Speed Run Data Analysis
After
the second High speed test session on Wednesday 5th December, when Windjet
clocked 102.3 mph, the team have now had the chance to review the test
data recorded on the onboard survey standard GPS system.
This
chart not only shows the amazing acceleration of Windjet,
but the tough conditions under which the team have to break the record.
From a standing start, Richard must accelerate up to full speed in under
one mile, he then has about 4-6 seconds at top speed before stamping on
the brakes to slow down in time to turn at the end of the runway.
The
test session above took place in winds averaging 21 knots, however
Waddington also presents some difficult wind conditions with gusts of
over 40 knots being recorded during the testing time. Unfortunately these
gusts are also very short and sharp, which means they do not hold the
sustained power needed to accelerate Windjet, but instead
buffet the vehicle like a plane flying through turbulence. This has led
to an optimisation process of the main wing system to deal with the rapid
changes in apparent wind speeds.
Friday,
7th December 2001 - Autocar magazine road tests Windjet
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Following
the 102 mph run on Wednesday 5th, Richard warily allowed Autocar's
deputy editor, Hugo Andreae to take Windjet for a 'spin'
in preparation for their Christmas Special Road Test. This edition
(dated 19th / 26th December 2001) has now been released and is on
sale throughout the UK. The six page article contains in-depth photographic
and technical details which until now have been a closely guarded
secret of Windjet's performance. |
Wednesday,
5th December 2001 - Windjet exceeds 100 mph!
During
a test session on 5th December, the Windjet land craft was
officially clocked at over 100 mph, raising the British record to 102.3
mph (165.3km/h)
| Taking
to the Waddington runway at 1540h after a wave of Harrier aircraft,
Windjet was able to fit fourteen full runs in before
darkness closed in. Utilising a piece of GPS positioning equipment
supplied by MTech Race Timing, speed readings could be taken five
times per second. The same equipment has been used in the past during
other officially recognised speed runs. |
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| "The
level of detail in the readings taken from those fourteen runs is
astounding," said Jenkins after reviewing the data. "For
the first time we have been able to accurately scrutinise the performance
of the craft many times per second which will enable us to optimise
the acceleration process still further". |
Speeds
in excess of 90 mph were recorded on each of the fourteen runs while three
runs exceeded 100 mph. The fastest run of the session was officially clocked
at 102.3 mph (164.6 km/h).
Due
to the recent unusual weather in the UK, this was the first real high
speed test opportunity since the first record challenge, at the end of
October. The modifications that have been made to deal with the very gusty
conditions at Waddington worked perfectly, with the vehicle achieving
excellent efficiencies.
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