This thread really isn't about a aircraft, but i don't know where to put it. It's about the Thrust SSC the fastest land vehicle on the planet. Plz tell me about it and ill share the info i know.

I remember it used a pair of afterburning Avons from a Lightning and one of the major problems they faced was making sure BOTH burners lit at exactly the same moment (which isn't a problem and doesn't happen on aircraft) to make sure the SSC kept going in a straight line, otherwise it would have rolled over.

I think it had Spey Mk202 engines fitted not Avons.

Originally posted by ajsr71
I think it had Spey Mk202 engines fitted not Avons.

Rolls-Royce Avon 302 `s were used in Thrust2 - Thrust SSC used Spey 205`s (a modified version of the spey 202`s) from an RAF phantom

You are both correct, my mistake, I was confusing the two. Truth be told I was going to type that it had Speys and stopped myself thinking 'nah, far too big, must've been Avons'. Whoops

That much i knew, but i also know that when it set the land speed record that it reached a top speed of about 770mph. But its capable of going about 850mph. do u guys have anymore info?

Well, its 'capable' of the speed it achieved, which was 760mph. Both it and the competing American car (designed by Craig Breedlove) had design speeds of 850mph, this was more as a margin to try and ensure the sound barrier was passed on land rather than an actual attainable speed. To think that it set a supersonic land speed record and yet was holding back somehow is quite wrong.

There was a fascinating documentary following the race with camera crews filming both teams every move and it was amazing to see. One amazing scene was how it showed the entire team crawling the length of the run on their hands and knees picking up every single piece of debris (stones) they could find. The effect of the car hitting a small stone would have been catastrophic.

I confess that, as a Brit, it was quite satisfying to see the US team slating the Thrust SSC as 'completely unaerodynamic' and also promouncing that they had gone for a single engine design because synchronizing two afterburners was impossible to get right, and then watching the Brit team thunder through 760mph while the American car never made it past 250mph.

Brought a lump to the throat it did, guv

And leave open the possiblity of the someone else breaking the record. According to Noble, they had more powerful Speys down in Las Vegas and could have easily thrown them in the car. But he decided the new record was enough and not to place the bar too high for the next guy. At least three other teams are going to try for the record. Breedlove with Spirit of America, Ed Shadle, from Washington, with the North American Eagle, and Roscoe McGlashan with his next verison of the Aussie Invader. I can't wait to see them go for it.