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Something different...now with pics!! - Page 2 Cooltext403300291


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Something different...now with pics!! - Page 2 Cooltext403300291
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Something different...now with pics!!

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CorradoVR6-Turbo
mrbeige
dirtytorque
mic_VR
junkie
KipVR
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Post by pete_griff Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:41 pm

best of luck over in the states pal - great to speak to you again the other day Very Happy

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Post by KipVR Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:22 pm

pete_griff wrote:best of luck over in the states pal - great to speak to you again the other day Very Happy

Good talking to you too buddy!


Well I've been out here staying in a hotel in Lancaster since the 6th July, except for last week when I had to return home to go on a holiday I had booked with my wife and son to France, I got back out here just in time to witness our first run, just a short low speed one to make sure all the crew did their jobs right, and it became evident we needed to do some further planning and practice.

We have to have a team at the start and then a team at the other end to turn the car around and send it back again. It takes 45 minutes to charge the airtanks to 300bar with portable compressors, but FIA rules say that from the beginning of the first measured mile to the end of the second can take no longer than an hour. So our turnaround has to be really slick to get it to within this timeframe.

The heat (49 degrees today) is also causing huge problems. We've had to do a fir bit of modding to cooling systems, mainly making room for dry ice cages in front of radiators and cooling fins, as we've had a number of electrical components shutting down due to thermal overloads. Also a couple of bits needed machining for which I had to go into the base's machine shop, my god that was an eye opener, I've never seen such a huge amount of exotic machines all in such prestine conditions.

The heat has also taken it's toll on the crew, we've had a number of people get heatstroke and one guy has had surgery for heart problems which came to light. So we now leave at half four in the morning to get there for five thirty when it's just getting light, keeping the temperatures down for as long as possible.

The base itself it absolutely huge, there is a freeway that leads to it, which carries on once you are past the gates for 45minutes. There are loads of stealth aircraft there including the new laser gun converted 747 that the air force are developing which is quite something listening to some of the people who have been working on it.

Anyway here are some pics.......

Setting up camp
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ITS BLOODY HOT!!!!
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This is where the shuttle lands, rock hard mud.
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Which unfortunately for us has to be cleared of stones, 6 guys with brooms at first (a mile each!)
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But then we got this thing that the airbase lent us after watching us struggle for a few days....
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Todays slow run.
KipVR
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Post by pete_griff Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:50 am

the camp looks cool - typically massive yank camp!

see if you can get us some pictures of the frickin' laser 747 Wink

liking the "character building" job of sweeping the stones (are you sure you're not being funded by the British Army?!?)

i also noticed those "chemical warzone"" type suits you mentioned on the phone - must be nice wandering round in those in that heat!
i have a similar chemical-type suit (no comments please!) issued for chemical/nuclear attack stuff for work. one of the instructors favourite games is to get people to play football while wearing them and a respirator! that's bad enough in the uk, so out there must be horrific.

glad to see things are coming along anyhow - enjoy getting a tan and make sure you keep us all posted when you can Very Happy

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Post by KipVR Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:32 pm

Cheers Pete, we've has their new unmanned drone spy airplane scuttling about landing strip next to us recently, that's a weird looking thing, the current one is odd enough to look at!
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Post by pete_griff Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:11 am

is that predator or reaper or have hey brought another new one out?

they are funky looking things - sound like a lawnmower when they take off!
if you ever get to watch one of the live feeds from them it's really good Very Happy

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Post by peanut Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:06 am

damn i love reading about stuff like this. Inspirational engineering and inovation
Gav

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Post by KipVR Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:28 pm

Thanks Gav!

Well I've had to come home early as my wife is expecting our second child in a few weeks and she needs me about the place which is a good enough reason i suppose!! On Monday they reached 158mph which is a world record by some margin, but it wasn't timed by the FIA who got there on Tuesday and it wasn't in both directions either as a sensor packed up and shut the car down Sad . Still doesn't really matter, they'll do it.

I'm gutted it's taken so long to get do all the testing etc because now I'm missing all the final action, but hey ho I wouldn't want to miss my daughters birth either!! Anyway keep an eye on the news this week, the BBC are there this week making a documentary on it and also doing news support....
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