Saturday 24 May 97
Arrived at a rather chaotic Heathrow Airport for our flight to Jordan, someone must have leaked the news that it was a bank holiday weekend. While waiting in the departure lounge we meet up with Martyn Davidson (a changed man), Ron Ayres, Glynne Bowsher and Rob Hemper, who explain the problems they had had with the Antonov.
Over the intercom came an announcement, the departure time would be delayed due to the aircraft having a technical fault, was this "Deja vu" for the ThrustSSC Team members, would we get to Jordan, would we see the car run !! Offers of help from the ThrustSSC Team members were declined, eventually the call was given for boarding to commence, we were on our way.
Sunday 25 May 97
Breakfast with Ken Waughman and Bob Ibbetson of the Advanced Team and the BBC film crew, Bill, Jeff and Rob, they fill us in on the do's and don'ts of surviving in Jordan and on the Al Jafr desert. Directions given and armed with sufficient bottled water, in the afternoon we follow the BBC film crew from the Amra Palace Hotel - Wadi Mousa, to Al Jafr, the country side went by as a blur.
What an unbelievable first experience, to drive over the Jafr mud plains with nothing to see but a sea of heat haze in all directions, heading SW, turn left at the oil drum ,and pass Tracy Island on the left, the Aireshelta and pits trailer appear on the horizon, we've arrived. Hello's are made to the small number of ThrustSSC team members still preparing ThrustSSC in the late afternoon sun for Mondays first run, we take a few photographs and then drive the 100Km back to the Hotel.
At dinner we bid Bob and Ken a safe journey back to England the following day, and hope to see them both again at one of the Farnborough open days.
Monday 26 May 97
The pit station is a hive of activity when we arrive at 0700am , no sooner had our car come to a stop, when Pete Ross comes running over requesting help moving packing cases, boxes, oil drums and any other movable object from beneath the pits trailer, to the newly erected tented storage compound.
That job completed, Mike Hearne is going around looking for volunteers to help fod the start position for todays ThrustSSC run, so its jump into one of the two disco's (Land Rover Discovery), and head off for mile 8.5, our first experience of fodding. Mike explains the rules on fodding and positions everyone across the 50ft wide track, fodding complete its back to the pits station.
Time to wander around ThrustSSC garaged in the Aireshelta, while she was being prepared for her first run of the Jordan 2 expedition, also our first opportunity to see the newly completed Mach 1 Club logo displayed on the nose cone, since having just been removed from its packing case for attachment to the car. It gave us great pride to be the first club members to see ThrustSSC on the desert displaying the Mach 1 Club colours and its recognition with the other main sponsor logo's.
It's 1000am and ThrustSSC is towed out of the Aireshelta with one of the supacats on route to mile 8.5 for her first 100mph run of the week at Jafr. The Pegasus microlight aircraft with Simon Baker as pilot takes off to be the eye in the sky. The short run is soon completed and ThrustSSC is again being towed back to the pits garage by a supacat.
Graham Swain, the radio 5 reporter interviews us on our reasons for being a Mach 1 Club member, our first impressions of the car, team and the Al Jafr desert. The team go off for their preliminary debrief in the pits trailer, so its time to head back to the Hotel for some food and a rest. At dinner the BBC guys inform us that the car would not be running the following day, due to the old problem, rear wheel shimmy, (that was news we really did not want to hear).
Tuesday 27 May 97
With ThrustSSC on a one day standdown, some sight seeing was in order, so we decide to tackle "Petra", the ancient Nabataean city carved into the red sandstone mountains. By 1400pm temperatures had reached 35 C in the shade, hot, it was hot, not a day for a 6 mile hike, but it was worth it for the fantastic views and outstanding carved buildings.
Wednesday 28 May 97
Early start again today, up at 0330am, ThrustSSC was already prepared awaiting tow out to her start position when we arrived at the pits station. Martyn Davidson and Chris Cowell give us instructions on following ThrustSSC and the start team out to the start position, with ThrustSSC and the start team on their way all other vehicles follow in formation, Dee Campbell-Coombe comments "you loose points if you don't stay in line".
At the start point we position ourselves 500 meters East of the track and ThrustSSC, the tension begins to build in anticipation of ThrustSSC starting her spey engines and speeding off up track 12, the "5 minutes to start" message comes over the Sheraton Mobile car radio, the Palouste is started and breathes life into ThrustSSC's spey engines until she can sustain herself on internal power. With both engines running on idle the start team reposition to a safe distance, the next call over the radio is "SSC rolling".
Andy applies power and the speys spool up, ThrustSSC moves away very slowly, more power, more dust until ThrustSSC is roaring off into the distance with the rooster trail of dust clouds leading far off on the horizon.
Eagerly we await the call to all vehicles, which soon comes, "SSC is stopped", "SSC is safe", everyone is relieved to hear those words. We then head off in the direction of ThrustSSC far off in the distance to veiw the recovery, then its back to the pits station to await the team brief, and if the shimmy problem had been laid to rest. The briefing is very positive with Andy happier with the rear wheel steering, only problem was having to cut the run short due to a radio failure.
Ronald Atkinson was not a happy chappy, as the weather station which he had erected only the previous morning, had been vandalized by the dust and electrical storm which had blown through the camp the previous afternoon. After retrieving it from the desert it was now in need of some TLC from the ever patient Ron.
Thursday 29 May 97
We had our first encounter with a pack of wild dogs this morning on the drive to Jafr, Ken had warned us about these. They roam certain sections of this road with a kamakaze mentallity, waiting at the road side to ambush any unsuspecting car or lorry , race them along the road presumably to get breakfast !!. Their is a sudden thud at the drivers rear side door, "what was that", Clive looks in the wing mirror to see one of the dogs walking off slowly, "He'll probably have a headache for the rest of the day", could it be that the car is not a Rover, we don't stop to find out as their are still four of his pals on our tail. We dub them the "mad dogs", its probably why you don't see many cyclist or joggers on the road to Jafr.
0600am and we are back at the pits station, just in time to see ThrustSSC being towed out of the Aireshelta by a supacat, travelled all of 10ft, before being pushed back into the Aireshelta with hydraulic failure. Martyn Davidson comes over with the bad news, "could be a 10 minute or a 3 hour delay", we hoped it would be the former. Time ticked by, then a team briefing was convened, the even worse news was that one of the main computers could have been cooked in the heat from the Wednesday 28 May 97 outing, this could entail a 3 day standdown with Jeremy Bliss returning to England, rebuild the computer and return to Jordan. Fortunatly lady luck was on the teams side as later that day a fix was found that could be carried out onsite, only a 1 day delay.
So with little else to do, it was off to do some more fodding.
Friday 30 May 97
Late nights and early starts are the norm now, starting to loose track of time, what day is it today. ThrustSSC is required to complete her runs by 0930am, due to the severe desert temperatures, recorded a high of 45 C on the trusty rental car ambient temperature gauge (shade temp) the previous day, "slightly warm".
At the pits station we decide to watch run 27 from the pits station so that we could see ThrustSSC across our view south to north and the parachute deployment. Today we have the privilege of being escorted by Richard Noble for the second run, at the start point Richard is excited with anticipation on the next speed increment, as we all are. ThrustSSC is soon ready to roll and the radio call is heard "SSC rolling", again as in previous runs SSC rolls gently forwards with ever more purpose until the roar of the twin spey engines are at full power and vibrate the desert surface. Then she's gone disappearing into the distance, the wind direction is due south so no quick evacuation to the disco, to avoid the plumes of dust that ThrustSSC had generated.
We wait for the pit to disco radio call, which soon comes "SSC stopped", "SSC safe". Richard instructs everyone into the disco, he gives his call sign to the pits station "Rat to pits station, permission to drive up the tracks of SSC", "Pits to Rat" "Rat cleared to proceed". Then we are off, speeding up the tracks left by ThrustSSC, with Dee Campbell-Coombe video taping the tracks, through the disco rear window. We reach a point where one of the bedouin tracks cross the running tracks, there is good surface contact with the desert from ThrustSSC suspension. Richard comments that "Brian (Brian Palmer) has done a fantastic job on the grading". Proceeding onwards we reach a point where ThrustSSC had deviated slightly from the white line, Richard comments "come on Andy bring her back on line", which was achieved further up the track . (Later, in the team debrief Andy Green comments that it required higher steering inputs than previous runs due to the higher speeds and the gyroscopic effect on the wheels). We reach the safed ThrustSSC and Richard jumps out to speak to the recovery team and Andy Green, the BBC film crew are already filming.
With everyone happy with the run, it's back to the disco plus Andy Green, who required a lift. "Rat to pits ,returning to pits garage with Andy plus 3", Dee Campbell-Coombe comments, "Rat and Dead Dog in the disco". Dee asks Richard how he acquired his call sign "Rat". Richard "Well we found a desert rat sheltering under the disco one day and Rat it was, Its a really mean call sign".
Arriving back at the pits garage we await the days team debrief with anticipation, what was the effective ground speed achieved by ThrustSSC on todays run, a maximum of 325mph is confirmed by Ron Ayres. Then it was back to preparing and checking ThrustSSC by the team for the next days runs, and the first use of the high speed parachutes.
Lunch has come and gone, a siesta then someone utters that dreaded F word, so its off for more fodding in the late afternoon sun. Only a 0.25 mile section at the mile 0 start point for tomorrows runs, its 35-40 C but there is a refreshing SW cooling breeze out on the course, fodding is completed by 1600pm. There was also a rumour that Sunday could be a non run day and a night out for the team.
Saturday 31 May 97
Last early start for us today, we arrive at the desert just in time to watch the sunrise at 0530am, and take some photographs of the sun rising between the Aireshelta and the pits trailer, "what a fantastic sight". We chat to the BBC film crew who also have the same reason for being in that location at that unearthly time. Then its off to the pits station to prepare for todays runs.
The BBC film crew arrive a few minutes later and Bill Grist the producer asks "where is the car", the reply comes back "1.5 miles down the track on her way to the start point", Bill, "But we wanted to film her going out at sunrise", reply "get up earlier".
We decide to watch the first run from the pits station, far in the distance we can see the badiar and some bedouin vehicles rushing around like demented ants. Everything is eventually cleared after a long delay the 5 minute to start and the SSC running alarm echo around the pits station. The roar of ThrustSSC as she starts her run from mile 0 can be easily heard, followed by the rooster dust trail, in an instant she is speeding past our pits station position at the 5 mile mark, the high speed parachute is deployed with a crack from the mortar firing, it flies very erratically.
ThrustSSC is safed again and cleared to be towed back to mile 0 for the second run of the day, 450mph with full afterburner.
In Sheraton mobile with Ninetta Hearne at the wheel, we arrive at the already positioned ThrustSSC at mile 0 track 11, ThrustSSC is soon made ready for her final run of the day. But their is a slight technical hitch, while Mike Hearne removes a desert snake which had also come to watch the start, only it was a touch to close to the start team, well inside the safety zone.
Hissing Sid is given the red card by Mike, Sid retreats not a happy snake, no breakfast today, later asked "was it a twig or a snake" "if it moved and hissed it was a snake".
The north start team retreat with ThrustSSC cleared for her last run of the day, the Pegasus microlight overflies the area with pilot Simon Baker and camera person , call sign "Wallace and Gromit".
ThrustSSC moves off again across the desert surface, as full afterburners engage the ground vibrates, the noise is deafening, acceleration is definitely quick. The calls over the car radio confirms, SSC stopped and safe, then its into Sheraton mobile so avoiding a sand blasting from the dust storm generated by ThrustSSC, ensure the windows are closed. Clearance is give to proceed back to the pits station, by the time it takes to travel the 5 mile distance ThrustSSC is already under tow by the south recovery team on route to the Aireshelta.
The team debrief confirms the maximum ground speed at 440mph, when Ron Ayers confirmed that they had broken last years previous best of 331mph everyone clapped and cheered.
With few job items to attend to on ThrustSSC, Martyn Davidson announces a 0600am start for Sunday, which meant a well deserved night out in Petra for the team. We say our goodbyes to the team and wish them all well for the following week (Press and all), but that we would probably see them for a farewell drink or two in the Movenpick Hotel that night.
At the Movenpick Hotel Bill Grist, the BBC film Producer was in the chair. With the team in good spirits, Rob Hemper entertained the team and some of the Hotel guests to his talent for improvised songs on this guitar and mouth-organ , with his backing group Mr Jeremy (Duck) Davey and ( my name is) Graham Swain. "all negatives can be destroyed following a donation to the SSC Programme".
We say our final goodbyes and hope to see them all very soon back at Farnborough.
Sunday 01 June 97
A late start today, up at 0600am, drive to the airport for the return flight home, time to catch up on some sleep and reflect on the past weeks events and the probable once in a life time experience to the region that will not be forgotten.
Special thanks go to Ninetta, Dee, Susy and to all of the ThrustSSC Jordan 2 Team for their hospitality during the week, and for making it for us a one week long open day.
 |
 |
 |
||
| Sponsored by | This site best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 | |||
 |
 |
 |
||