The Bluebird Project

Renegadenemo wrote:

If we guarantee the weather forecast for minus five temperatures throughout the trial does that count? For some in the world that may count as 'good weather'.

Nope - temp can do as it pleases and if they want short days so the viewing public get as little value as possible then we can only shake our heads at their shortsightedness but what we can't (and won't) try to work in is wind and rain so they'd best get their sh*t together!

I hope the temp can stay well north of freezing, otherwise with that nice big low pressure vacuum in the intakes, this risk of icing becomes very real, especially with all the water that K7 has a habit of throwing up. It would be unfortunate if the Orph digested some ice. When it was realised that the 66 attempt was going to last well into winter, BS, in the person of Ken Pearson felt compelled to fwd the team updated operating instructions to warn of the possibility of icing.

ted.walsh wrote: From previous experience on Coniston in November I know that down to peel island from the cafe takes around 30 seconds, the return leg anything up to 2 1/2 hours depending upon the tow boat...Brrr
..

Is it good form to show this....?

I know this is going to be a daft question, but... drive it back?

Ted's other boat - the lightweight one - has been a bit fragile at times on Coniston and the slow tow back is done to leave the water for other contenders to run on.

Provided we are conducting a development run or proving run the big blue boat can run under power at over 10 mph. Just add enough fuel to the tank.

There again, we could give Ted the paddle and make him bring her back to base on his own.

Once saw the mesh 'FOD' screen on Vampire coated with ice after an engine start-up on an autumn morning on Elvington airfield. Engine was known for eating large birds and medium sized rodents so some ice particles made no difference but the choked screen did stall the motor.

One advantage of these old turbojets is the static vanes at the inlet to filter FOD into bite-size pieces for the first-stage blades to slice and dice before further ingestion. I reckon our Orphs would cope with fairly large objects so long as they were reasonably soft and squishy. Don't want to find out though!

Aye-The old girl has proved she's pretty good at ducks!

Now we are being held up by the actions of this Government!

The Department and its Minister are clearly busy dealing with the fall out from the proposal to sell of many forest areas and cannot get around to signing off the new Coniston bye law. I will not blame those defending our woodlands, because BBP Operations have already seen a parking area and possible access to viewing on the east side of the lake fenced and gated off by a new owner.

All we can do is sit and wait until the bye law folder reaches the top of the pile on the Ministers desk - or she has time to get back to that desk to see it - rather than appear on political shows defending the sale of woods.

More news when we get it from LDNPA who are the sponsors of the changes to accommodate the BBP.

Now we are being held up by the actions of this Government!

Never! you have to be kidding me. I'd have thought our paperwork would flash across a few desks and fire out the other end with the ink still wet from the rubber stamps.

Renegadenemo wrote:

Now we are being held up by the actions of this Government!

I'd have thought our paperwork would flash across a few desks and fire out the other end

Sounds tonight Bill that you might have been inhaling substances to have thought that the bye law process would be that easy Just stay on track with unbending metal and BBP Operations will bring the trial on Coniston to you in good time and who knows what speed Ted may be allowed to reach !!

Still work to be done to deliver the Plan A site, have faith.

Still work to be done to deliver the Plan A site, have faith.

My faith is absolute, my ability to contain my frustration with bureaucracy is somewhat less. It's a symptom of coming from an industry background where people with balls make decisions before the competition steals the show and stand or fall by their judgement. Never mind... I'm sure we'll find some water somewhere.