Date: Bank Holiday Saturday, 24th August. Place: Q Shed, Defence Research Agency, Farnborough. Objectives: To finally test ThrustSSC under its own power on the long runway, and to give the Mach 1 Club Gold Members their long-promised chance to see the car in action. Deadline: Running to be completed by Monday - the runway would be heavily used from Tuesday to practise for the renowned Farnborough air show.

The Gold Members had been invited to come to Farnborough on the Bank Holiday Monday, giving the Thrust SSC Team two clear days to work on the car and make the initial test runs.

Unable to see the point of joining most of the population of the United Kingdom in the Bank Holiday weekend gridlock on the country’s motorway system, the ThrustSSC team started early on Saturday morning preparing the car. Engines needed to be lifted in and connected up to the various systems, hydraulic and fuel systems charged and bled, electrical systems checked, and the thousand and one other jobs required before ThrustSSC could venture out onto Runway 25.

While the team prepared the car, the satellite dish was moved into the pouring rain outside the hangar and realigned with its satellite (or ‘bird’ in the jargon) and the control equipment installed in the Operations Trailer - the objective being to report progress on the Internet using the satellite - in a dry run of the reporting operation that will be run from Al Jafr Desert in Jordan.

Inside Q Shed the communications experts, led by Adam Northcote-Wright, prepared the radio sets that would be used to coordinate all operations and the team liaison in the airfield Control Tower, Jayne Millington.

(Paul Remfry - ThrustSSC Engine Team. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

As time rolled inexorably on, it was clear that with the weather being extremely unsettled and problems being experienced with the hydraulic and fuel systems on the car, no run would take place that day. The team worked late into the night to resolve an enormous crisis with the hydraulic system. It was unable to generate more than 1000psi, which meant that the suspension system and brakes would not work! At 11pm , after a second night of Chinese food and severe Monosodium Glutamate poisoning, the fault was traced and rectified.

All were back in Q Shed ready for action again early on Sunday morning. Work resumed on the troublesome systems to cure the faults, but once again trouble was experienced pressuring the hydraulic system and a fuel system coupling was found to require modifications. Outside the rain was back - a far cry from the glorious weather that had bathed the UK earlier in the week. A photographer and TV crew had also turned up ready to cover this historic event - the first ever run of a car with supersonic World Land Speed Record capability.

(Gold Members of the Mach 1 Club admiring ThrustSSC in Q Shed. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

Monday was the final day allocated for the tests. Once again everyone started early, with the media also arriving in good time to cover the action. The Gold Members had been asked to meet up at the Main Gate, from where they were transferred by coach to Q Shed to see the car and meet the team. Acquaintances made at previous ThrustSSC Open Days were renewed, and some fresh ones begun. Indeed, for the Internet Team it was great to finally have the chance to meet some of the member we have corresponded with via email for so long!

Needless to say the weather was sending intermittent showers over Farnborough again, each one indicated by the drumming on the roof of Q Shed. While the team continued to ready the car and rectify the outstanding problems with the hydraulic system, the Gold Members were kept entertained with guided tours of the facilities, talks on the magnificent newly-arrived Jaguar XJR Firechase and the Supacats, and tours of the Operating Trailer, now under its own power with a Honda generator humming away at the rear.

(ThrustSSC emerges from Q Shed through the crowd. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

Finally on Monday afternoon the word everyone had been waiting for came - the SSC was ready to roll! As the car was lowered from its stands to the floor of the hangar, the hydraulic jacks were used to check the weight and the huge Merlo forklift was brought up behind to propel the car nose-first out of Q Shed. Two rows of people formed either side as the car rolled out into the waiting sunlight and onto the tarmac of the "Mosquito Way" taxiway. While a minor difficulty was encountered making sure that ThrustSSC’s nose cleared the tarmac at the bottom of the gentle slope from Q Shed, the rain decided to return -a light shower this time which necessitated putting a tarpaulin over the car.

(ThrustSSC is towed to the runway. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

Once ThrustSSC was in position, the Merlo was detached and a Supacat brought up to tow it to the start point in front of the tower on "Two Five" - Farnborough’s main runway. Time was now very short, but the DRA stepped in and very kindly extended the runway opening hours until 6pm to enable to tests to go ahead.

(Glynne Bowsher (Mechanical Designer) and Andy Green (Driver) discuss the tests. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

The car was manouvered into position next to one of the airfield’s fire tenders and the Supacat and tow-dolly removed and taken to the far end of the runway for ‘recovery’ after the first run. ThrustSSC’s driver Andy Green climbed in and put on his helmet while the team busied themselves with final preparations.

(ThrustSSC is prepared on Runway 25. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

The visitors were taken to near the start point to see how the car was started and watch it make its first runs down the long strip. The fire tender took up position opposite the middle of the runway, the "Palouste" air starter was started and the air line attached to the left-hand engine. The Spey fired up and the air line was removed and passed to the right-hand engine. It too fired successfully, but the engine-driven hydraulic pump failed to prime itself and again there was insufficient pressure to work the car’s systems. The pump is driven from the right-hand engine and primes on shutdown. In such circumstances the normal procedure would be to shut down the engine and restart it, but a fuel leakage under the engine meant that the team could not risk a restart, and time was virtually up. Reluctantly the decision was made to cancel the test.

Although naturally disappointed, the Gold Members were pragmatic - they all understood that record breaking is never easy, and that this was a test rather than a demonstration run. The reasons for the decision not to run the car were appreciated and respected.

Project Director Richard Noble summed it up perfectly on the end of runway 25: "It was the right decision...."

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