The British Way of doing things

Why spend billions of dollars on developing a Space Shuttle when you can cheaply convert a Reliant Robin three-wheel car into a re-usable orbital vehicle?

Maybe now we know

This is the, er, 'vehicle' that was used and I've just spotted the number plate, wow! WNB are my initials ;


1st vid

2nd vid



In case anyone is wondering, the guy with the radio control was there to fly the Robin in for a landing on the runway (it was staged at an MoD facility in Northumberland) after the fuel tank separated, oops!

Apparently this was the largest non commercial rocket launch in Europe - ever.

[edit on 20-2-2007 by waynos]

Hmm got to fix that second stage separation sequence That was pretty halarious. Those guys did a heck of a job to launch a car into the air like that. But got to break a few eggs to make an omelette right?


If at first you don't succeed don't tell the guy you borrowed the car from.

OMG
They actually got it that high.
Does anyone what kind of rockets they used?

Top Gear best car related TV programme ever. This stunt was top drawer thanks for showing the sequence as missed that show.

Not sure about the cost to the environment in playing out these crazy ideas, i wonder how many trees they need to plant each year to be carbon free.

Apparently there were 4 O class hybrids on the SRBs and 2 air start O class hybrids on the ET as well as lots of smaller rockets for various other purposes.

O class rockets have an impulse range of 20-40 KN·s

Yea Top Gun's the tops!!
I liked that ep where the Guy tries to evade a Challie in a SUV!!
Hilarious!!

Thats 'Gear' Daedalus, but I know what you meant

previous aviation related clips also include a Sea Harrier racing a Formula 1 car round the test track and a contest between a British Army AH-64 Apache and a Lotus Elise as well as a race from Monaco to England between a light aircraft and a Bugatti, they are just boys with very big toys and well worth a watch. Although some of our US members might not like the episode when they had to drive through the deep south with anti religious and pro gay slogans painted on their cars just to see if they would be attacked. They were, and it was funny as hell

Originally posted by waynos
Although some of our US members might not like the episode when they had to drive through the deep south with anti religious and pro gay slogans painted on their cars just to see if they would be attacked. They were, and it was funny as hell

And I thought that the only thing that was worth watching on tv in England was the Big Breakfast

That was pretty cool to watch I do feel bad that it didnt work out as well as they would have hoped.

So how did all of those plane vs car shows turn out? (yank here, I don't receive BBC)

Originally posted by waynos
Thats 'Gear' Daedalus, but I know what you meant

previous aviation related clips also include a Sea Harrier racing a Formula 1 car round the test track and a contest between a British Army AH-64 Apache and a Lotus Elise as well as a race from Monaco to England between a light aircraft and a Bugatti, they are just boys with very big toys and well worth a watch. Although some of our US members might not like the episode when they had to drive through the deep south with anti religious and pro gay slogans painted on their cars just to see if they would be attacked. They were, and it was funny as hell

[edit on 21-2-2007 by norniron]

'Gear' indeed!!
What was I thinking??!!


Jeremy Clarkeson will pass out if he heard about this!

i must say the one where they has an apache gunship trying to lock on to a lotus elise was funny as was the one where they wanted to see if a jag xjs could go from 0-100-0 on the deck of HMS invincible failure meant taking off on the ski ramp.......

mmm top gear you say.

Originally posted by whatukno

So how did all of those plane vs car shows turn out? (yank here, I don't receive BBC)

How come?
Only commonwealth countries get it?

Originally posted by whatukno
So how did all of those plane vs car shows turn out? (yank here, I don't receive BBC)

have a snoop around YouTube and Google Video for "Top Gear".. "Jeremy Clarkson" or "Richard Hammond".. there's plenty of clips around. You'll be entertained for hours!

What's a funny things Waynos doing recently, just like celebrate China Spring Festival Happy Luna New Year!

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation


Aww, the best part . . .

Yeah I found that on a few, which Is a pity, because I can't find any videos on the BBC website. Which is pretty stupid, the fact that people are posting the videos surely shows there is a demand?

The only decent things the BBC has on TV I find is Top Gear, Doctor Who and their news service.

Oh and some of David Attenborough's programs.

It doesn't have this on it at the moment, hopefully in the future they will, but here is some top gear if you want it:

www.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 23-2-2007 by apex]

Originally posted by apex
www.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 23-2-2007 by apex]

Damn good find old chap! loads of full segments and miles better quality than youtube!

that was such an awesome episode! It really looked like a shuttle launch, haha with a relliant robin. Class,lol.

At first i thought someone was actually gonna go in the car.. it's a good thing they didn't!!

Top Gear is an awesome show, that was insane when they went to america! The car had to break down just as "the boys" turned up as well,lol.

I really like the review of the Focus ST the orange one.."drools" i want that car!!!

I remember jermemy clarkson went up in a tornado once a few years back, can't remember what show what it was, i remember he was constantly throwing up though! sooo lucky.

How do jouranlists get these flights?

Oh and if it's on you tube you should see the crash with richard hammond, on tpp gear, he almost died! Going at 300mph! In a jet powered car, he was in hospital for ages.

reply to post by whatukno


Well, freshest in my mind was the Elise and Apache, where the apache pitted its targetting systems against the Elise's formidable handling skills. The Apache couldn't get lock and at one point was lost from the apache by hiding directly underneath it

The Italy-London race with the Bugatti ended with the Bugatti Veyron winning. Since James May continually sprang up downers to Richard Hammond eg. We can't fly over mountains.

"So, Jeremy's car can actually go higher than your plane? And you choose now to tell me?"

sums how that went really. Not sure how the sea harrier-f1 went, not seen it. There was of course the tractor race, which was a damn sight more entertaining than it sounds. Each vehicle had to pull weight, gaining points for each tonne it could pull and obviously winning a 100metre race.

James May pulled the entire catalogue of vehicles from the Top Gear garage (well over 10) which went pear-shaped when he realised nobody was steering the cars, Hammond tugged the Top Gear Stationary caravan (which had no wheels) with the tractor which closer resembled a Halo scorpion tank, or Baneblade . And of course, never settling to be showed up, Clarkson shows up tugging no less than a Boeing 757.

Clarkson won.

Where to they get this kind of stuff!?