News Archive - January, 2002

Monday, 28th January 2002 - Windjet clocks 116 mph

Today, Monday 28th January, Windjet was again out testing at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The weather conditions were not ideal for a record attempt with a predicted 20 - 30 knot wind at about 25 degrees to the runway, however Richard and the team seized the opportunity to put in some more valuable high speed test runs.

Leaving the hanger at 1600 hrs, Windjet waited patiently on the runway threshold for two F-15 fighter jets to perform a 'touch-and-go' manoeuvre. No sooner had they roared overhead, the 'Windjet all clear' message came from Waddington Air Traffic Control over the cockpit radio.

Releasing the brake, Richard shot out on to the runway, accelerating with the windward wheel clear of the ground for the first few hundred metres.

That first run recorded 116 mph (185.6 km/h) according to the onboard speedometer, however the team know that this 'mechanical' device reads at least 3-4 percent lower than the actual speed (demonstrated last time the team used the high performance GPS tracking system).

Richard is saying nothing of the potential top speed achieved;

"Today we had some great speeds, clocking over 108 mph on every run, with a top recorded speed of 116. The vehicle was handling superbly and it looks as if we now have really got to grips with the turbulent Waddington conditions. Even better, is that the acceleration has now moved up a gear with top speed being reached by roughly the middle of the runway, in less than one mile. It's quite incredible."

The vehicle is now back in the hanger waiting for that next weather opportunity when the official timers and press will be back to witness and verify the record.

Wednesday, 23rd January 2002 - Government Think-Tank Leads Push to Renewable Energy

In a report leaked to The Independent, the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU), a Downing Street think-tank, proposes that the government should set itself the ambitious target of meeting 20% of the country's energy needs by wind, wave and solar power by the year 2020.

The PIU states that in the future the UK will become more dependant on imported energy in the form of oil and gas unless a substantial change to Britain's energy policy is made within the next five years.

Read the full article on The Independent's website.

Friday, 18th January 2002 - Wind frustrates Windjet

Although, statistically, the winds in January should prove to be the most favourable of the year for Windjet, the weather conditions at RAF Waddington have continued to thwart the challenge.

"It's so frustrating," said Sara Moore, Windjet's Press & PR Manager. "The wind is definitely strong enough to warrant a challenge but it's blowing at between 220 to 230 degrees which is only about 15 degrees off the runway."

Ideally, Windjet requires winds perpendicular to the runway and, although Waddington is famed for its cross winds, the weather has been remarkably still over the past few months. Nevertheless, the team will remain on standby until a suitable window presents itself.

Friday, 18th January 2002 - E-mail notification feature on Forum

Due to popular demand, you can now choose to be notified via e-mail when a reply is posted to your comments left on the forum.

Sunday, 13th January 2002 - Read the Autocar Road Test

Following numerous requests from around the world, Autocar magazine have kindly granted us permission to present the Windjet road test as published in their Christmas Special Edition.

Click here to read the review (1.4 Mb)

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the article - click here to download from the Adobe website.

Friday, 11th January 2002 - Grant Dalton to launch challenge for outright Speed Sailing record

Today, Tim Jeffery of the Telegraph reported that the Kiwi and the current holder of the round the world record in The Race, Grant Dalton, is to launch a challenge on the outright speed sailing record.

Read the full article on The Telegraph's website.

Wednesday, 2nd January 2002 - Windjet back on standby

Following the Christmas and New Year break, the Windjet team are back on standby at RAF Waddington. Historical data shows that January is the month most likely to provide favourable conditions for Windjet although a current high pressure ridge has ruled out any challenge for the next week. The extended Christmas break provided the team with an excellent opportunity to forge ahead with other aspects of the project, details of which will be released soon.

The year 2002 will see some monumentous advances in wind technology and some exciting times for Windjet and the team, and we look forward to sharing the experiences with our supporters.

(Back to News Desk)