I think you know the 'sketch' by now: 1120hrs, Mile 7, one half mile west of track. Escortees: Matt from the BBC and Alain and Christophe from Paris-Match. You had a good evening yesterday - everyone was celebrating ThrustSSC becoming fastest car ever timed through the measured mile. Mach 1 Club member Allan Reed laid on dinner for everyone, while Rob Hemper got his guitar and harmonica out again. Most importantly, the sign outside the Black Rock Saloon has been updated - to read 687mph.
There was a flood of congratulatory emails this morning when we got in to the Desert Pits - thanks to all those who wrote in and apologies for not having the time to write back to all of you. Your messages are appreciated, and it is wonderful to know you are following ThrustSSC's progress so closely and enthusiastically. We hope that as many of you as possible can make it to the spectator area some time and see ThrustSSC run for yourselves.
The media are descending in force today - indeed we have had to enlarge the Desert Pits area to increase the security of the ThrustSSC compound. A few days ago, Adam Northcote-Wright (callsign "Long-Name") was on overnight watch duty. In the morning he was having a shave in the water barrel, only to find a camera pointed at him by a TV crew. One has to wonder what life out here is going to be like now we are up to record speeds?
Back to today. Ron wants to run the same profile twice to gather aerodynamic data: Mach 0.9, 12 miles run distance. Andy will do his usual gentle acceleration from Mile 0.5 (to avoid sucking desert into the Speys) until the engines are getting ram air, then bring up the power in stages to 'max mil', then 'min AB', then 'max AB' (full dry power, minimum afterburner, maximum afterburner). At 630mph indicated air speed he will reduce the afterburner (Ron estimates 30 to 35% burner) until he reaches 650mphi, despool to idle, deploy the chute at 600mphi, brake from 150mphi and stop opposite Nick Dove's Recovery Team at Mile 12.5. Ron estimates a peak ground speed of approximately 696mph given an air temperature of 24 degrees Celcius.
You work away on your laptop. Matt and the Paris-Match gentlemen are setting up a power cable and video recorder to tape a second copy of the Matt's footage for the BBC News. A half-mile to the south of you Sky Television set up their satellite truck in the Press Area.
At 1148 Jayne issues an estimates 10 minutes to engine start warning. The Merlo's radio continues to crackle as everyone positions for the run.
At 1149 SSC joins the traffic on the air, you can't hear Andy from nearly seven miles away, but you hear Jayne respond from the Pit Station: "SSC, good morning. Temperature 25, pressure 885."
1203 - 2 minutes to run is broadcast. At 1205 you hear: "SSC, clear to roll. All stations, SSC rolling. SSC rolling." ThrustSSC begins its run, and Andy Green puts in his usual incredibly disciplined drive, sticking rigorously to Ron's profile. The car charges past you and Brian Palmer in the Jaguar Firechase calls: "Five and a half to go" before he and Mike Hearn set off in pursuit.
Andy begins his slow-down. You still cannot pick up his transmissions, but you do hear Jayne transmitting over the high aerials of the Pit Station: "SSC, copied.. Slowing down, one 'chute out." Although you don't realise it, chute 1 has failed and Andy has deployed chute 2.
At 1209 Andy calls stopped. Pit Station relays a message to telemetry: "Indications are that Comp 1 is down, Comp 1 is down." A minute later 'safe' is called - you can prepare to move to Mile 6. The USAC timekeepers call up: kilo was 696.863mph, mile was 693.507mph, 688.070mph between the traps. SSC was accelerating gently through the measured mile.
You take Alain to the timekeepers' RV to change the film in his remote camera before continuing to the 'Merlo point' for the next run. The radio barks intermittently - SSC has a computer problem. It's almost a physical blow - after yesterday's successes you thought those problems were over. The sooner the new processor arrives and is installed the better, you think. Turnround within the required hour for a record must be in doubt, but plans are being made for a third run in case the problems are resolved. There is another track prepared with white lines, but it has not been completely 'fodded' - teams are despatched to walk the incomplete stretch and pick up the stones, shell cases and any other debris that might damage the jet-car. Even members of the media
The radio barks occasionally as Robbie Kraike checks out the parachutes and investigates why the first one failed. It turns out that it did fire (unlike yesterday's problem), but the drogue that pulls the bag out of the parachute bin had torn from its lanyards. It is decided that there is no cause for concern on a second run.
Time drags on... There is little to do but lie on the Merlo's forks and rest in the sun. Even under the fierce glare of a Black Rock afternoon the timing light opposite you can be seen shining through the mirage that sits over the tracks. At 1320 we hear Nick Dove on the radio - we have an estimated 45 minutes to engine start. Jayne acknowledges and checks with the USAC timekeepers that they are OK for three runs today.
1240 - "Pit Station. Press 1. Urgent message." There is no response from Jayne or Martyn in the control centre. "Pit Station. Press 1. Urgent message." repeats Pete Ross. This time he gets an answer. There is a 'bandit' on the tracks swerving wildly and travelling at high speed. Paul Remfry ("Blackadder") in charge of security is dispatched to intercept.
"Trackmaster" calls in - with his 'native' knowledge of American vehicles, Jack Franck is able to give a more accurate description: it's a white 1-ton Ford flat-bed truck with twin antennae and pallets on the bed. His dust trail can be seen as he charges south down the east side of the desert attempting an escape. With luck he will overshoot Access 1 - beyond that point he will sink to his axles in the mud and will be an easy catch for the security teams. Work continues to ready ThrustSSC for another run. A 'fod' sweep is requested of the tracks that the bandit traversed - in case anything has fallen from his vehicle. The white truck is eventually caught and the driver dealt with by the Bureau of Land Management rangers.
1410 - Engine start is estimated in about 5 minutes. Robbie Kraike in "Dodge 1" (named after the vehicle manufacturer, nothing to do with the incursion!) reports that there is no apparent fod - just squiggly lines left by the Ford's tyres.
1412 - Jayne Millngton: "That's copied. SSC is armed." A pause. "All stations, five minutes to run. Five minutes to run."
It's getting hotter and hotter. The wind is light and intermittent and Merlo's flag flutters occasionally as it picks up then dies again. Jayne checks that everyone is ready and you return to a state of alertness. Firechase tears down the desert from the north and takes up station opposite you.
1424 - Jayne gives Andy his wind reading and clearance to roll. By the time SSC emerges from the mirrored sky lying across the desert the car is moving faster then you have ever seen it. It seems much louder too as it screams past and disappears into the mirror again.
1427 - "Copied. Double chute failure. Estimate overshoot 1.5 miles." Both drogues have torn from their lanyards and SSC will have to stop on Glynne Bowsher's carbon disc brakes alone. A minute later you hear Jayne again: "SSC, that's copied. Overshoot 1.4 mile. Hot brakes, I say again, hot brakes." Your mind flicks back to the run profile Ron Ayers has issued you with - you pull it out of your pocket and sure enough, it shows a parachute failure case of a 14.76 mile run - which will leave ThrustSSC well clear of the end of the desert.
Chris Cowell's recovery team heads down towards the jet-car as it comes to a stand. Andy Green has turned some 20 degrees to the left as he came off the end of the racetracks, heading to an area he has already inspected and knows to be free of debris. At 1432 SSC calls 'safe' and you relax and pack your cameras.
"Pit Station, this is USAC timing." Dave Petrali is on the radio right away.
"USAC Timing, go ahead."
"I have some times for you."
Dave reads out the times in turn to Jayne who repeats them back for confirmation. Kilo is 721.358mph - you almost feel a sense of shock: Andy has officially become the first man to be timed at over 700mph. Mile is a fraction slower: 719.137mph. The final figure is 715.521mph between the traps. SSC must have been slowing through the measured mile.
Telemetry is on the radio. Would "Mobile Recs" please note the positions of the parachute bullets? Glynne Bowsher acknowledges. You start the long, slow drive back - Merlo will do 24mph flat out, but long thrashes across the playa will do it no good at all.
Back at the Desert Pits Andy is unperturbed about the parachute failures - at the Press Conference he describes the slowing down phase on the brakes as 'boring' after the high speed run through the measured mile. To the surprise of the media, the whole incident is referred to as 'no big deal' - the possibility of a double chute failure is something the team always consider in their calculations, and one of the advantages of the 80-mile long Black Rock is the size of the runoffs. Glynne Bowsher explains how the brakes have been designed to handle such a situation - Andy had applied them at 200 mph, although they are capable of stopping the car from 300 without difficulties, and even 400mph - although the latter case would wreck them. He points out, too, that they are effectively attached to 300-pound heatsinks - the front wheels.
Robbie Kraike describes the parachute problems to the media, while Martyn Davidson covers the operational side - emphasising that these were development runs of a prototype vehicle. Problems are to be expected - and a huge amount of data has been obtained. Question are taken - and Andy explains that there are a number of solutions to the drogue chutes problem, including reducing the efficiency of the canopies and strengthening the lanyards - there is plenty of spare nylon tape for that.
Finally Richard Noble thanks the media for attending. ThrustSSC will not run tomorrow while the car is checked and the drogues sorted out. All being well, the development program will continue on Thursday.
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