The boom was not working

Friday, 13 February 2009 21:19

The boom in Coventry was not working today. What boom, I hear you say.  Not a boom across the canal but a sonic boom.

We visited the Transport Museum today, a glorious sunny day. All the ice has gone and the sun had some warmth in it again.

The museum is fascinating, particularly I suspect to people of our generation whose parents and grandparents were alive at the dawn of the personal transport age. Many of the beautifully preserved cars on display are familiar either from family photographs, personal experience or dim memories of the many manufacturers' names.

Singer, Humber, Alvis, Triumph, Daimler, Armstrong Sidley, Riley, Standard, Jaguar ... the list is comprehensive!

How about this Cluley, 1923

My next door neighbour when I was a child had one of these

My dream car, sadly this one was the last ever to be made

Not sure about the colour though! There are other interesting things to see. You may be into bicycles, commercial vehicles, racing cars, dinky toys or even the boom!

The "Spirit of Speed" gallery was a draw for us both! it charts the history of the Land Speed Record. The first recorded one was in 1898, a breathtaking 39.24 mph. This record was held by the French. The French held the record, interspersed with the occasional American, and Belgian driver. Finally, in 1914, we Brits succeeded, a record of 124.09 mph. A "125" car, well almost!

We reigned supreme from 1924 thanks to Malcolm Campbell in the first Blue Bird. He held the record nine times. From 1929 to 1947 the Brits could not be beaten! Before jet and rocket propulsion took over in 1963 the last record was held in 1947 at 193.82 mph.

Jet/Rocket propulsion gave the US an edge (ironic since Sir Frank Whittle of Coventry had invented the jet engine) and until 1983 no one else got a look in! Ah but on the scene comes a certain Richard Noble and "Thrust2". I watched this one on TV - 663 mph, amazing! But more was to come.

Richard Noble had the bug! He did not drive for the record in his next car - a fighter pilot named Andy Green took Thrust SSC to 766 mph in 1997. This is where the boom comes in! Supersonic speed varies according to the conditions but Andy Green broke the sound barrier, producing a sonic boom in Thrust SSC.

Those living near the Bristol Channel and the north coast of the foot of England will know what a sonic boom sounds like. Concorde (that wonderful bird) regularly broke the sound barrier on the flight across the Atlantic. In the early days of Concorde we were living in Cornwall and our windows shook with the sound every evening. It broke windows in a local National Trust property!

So today we could not resist the story of Thrust SSC. Hearing about the operation, the skill and the difficulties in raising the money was so interesting. The jet engines are huge and we marvelled that parts of them looked so flimsy. We had to go on the simulator! I have to say that I have been on worse plane flights! It was an interesting experience though.

Thrust SSC

When you exit the simulator Thrust SSC is exhibited below and there is supposed to be a lights and sonic boom show. As the title of this blog says - the boom was not working! However it is worth looking at the simulator from the outside as it "simulates", as it gives you an idea of the thrust and movement of the car. Inside you feel as if you are taking off and landing as of course at that speed you would be in a plane! The simulator takes off and lands too!

It was a great day and the real plus is that the museum and all the exhibits are FREE! Come on government: what about the Waterways museums?

Why, with our love of speed, did we decide to live on about the slowest form of transport today? I will have to ponder that one!

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