Quicksilver

[rob565uk]

As a follow-up to the Quicksilver update, the Wikipedia WSR page has some interesting news at the foot of the page which suggests the Quicksilver Project may be in more trouble than previously realised:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_speed_record

I am not sure whether Wikipedia has validated the entry.

[ace_chris]

Interesting reading re. Quicksliver's financial health...Perhaps paralells can be made with Donald's erm, alledegdly precarious financial situation around the time of the 66/67 attempt? Hadn't someone leant him the E-type jag? After the accident apparenty it was rumoured that the Landy ended up in a garage around the Coniston area by means of paying off some of the oustanding fuel cost for the attempt.

Had the Coniston attempt succeeded would he have re-couped his losses and have earned enough to have made it worth while? Who knows. Would the subsequent land speed CMN8 project have succedeed and minted him, again who knows?

Would he have ever hung his helmet up and said that enough, no more record attempts...? Who knows? One thing is for sure; Donald Campbell made things happen through his personality and charm which in turn helped him attract sponsorship to fund the records, he also was not afraid of rolling his sleeves up and mucking in with 'the troops'

[Terminator]

Had a phone call today re Nigel's latest offering Hope the link comes out below. Some new Air assisted shut off valve on the fuel side that a company in Knutsford are developing especially for Q.S !Why he wants to shut the fuel off Quickly I do not know? And how this slows the boat I am at a loss to understand the thinking on this one at the mo.?
Still half asleep though Zzzzz!!

Bu--er! it won't paste! Just type in the Knutsford Guardian. date was 23rd September 09. And type in Quicksilver in the search box. should bring it up .

I would think the shear weight of the dam thing will slow it down if it ever does get on the plane? Or even built for that matter He is claiming to be making an attempt on Coniston water in January 2012 .

Did i read in the last posting on this thread "rumour has it the Landy used in the final attempt 66/67 was handed over to offset an outstanding fuel bill?" This is correct and currently the Rover in question is being overhauled/restored by its current owner but I couldn't possibly divulge its location or it owner at this time you understand. As for the E-type it was Donald's I would say however Tonia lays claim to it in her Book "My Like With The Speed King". After the Tragedy of 67 the car was sold and and last I heard it remains pristine and within the same family who purchased it from the Estate all those years ago. Unless of course anybody Knows differently of course?

Novie

I'll be back...

[malcolm uk]

Shutting off the fuel will put out the fire and then the engine will spool down. Loss of thrust should see a heavy craft that was at speed slow down under aero drag then drop off the plane. Need to watch SSC video again to see how the engines responded under shut down command from Andy.

With any device, the most succesful for or in an emergency will be those that are direct acting. If the air is from a cylinder then what happens if there is pressure loss or someone forgets to charge it before a run? What triggers the air supply to move to the actuator (or to stop it perhaps) - another device such as a solenoid valve? How robust is a solenoid and then the air actuator and the fuel valve in what is a hostile environment - speed across water.

I too want to see pictures of the important areas of the QS boat - the safety cell and cockpit, not be told about a single valve, but then I am convinced I am not the team's target audience (cos I have no money to 'invest').

Malcolm

[Renegadenemo]

I must admit, it surely wouldn't take much effort to post the odd pic of what's going on in their workshop. It would be nice to update our diary every week but there's simply not time but at least we get some current images out there for those who are interested. How hard can it be?

[jonwrightk7]

another update on the quiksilver site!!!

[Renegadenemo]

A valve, eh... All very interesting but can't help thinking of the Americans spending a billion dollars developing a pen that would write in zero gravity while the Russians went into space with a pencil. K7 has a very nice spring to shut things down should the compressor start ingesting excrement but you have to throw the lever pretty damn quick. SSC took the idea to the next level with a PCL compressed air fitting in the throttle linkage fired by a pair of solenoids from the RS catalogue that simply broke the linkage in two as part of the abort process allowing the return springs to slam the throttles shut. Simple, elegant, effective.

[Excelsior2007]

I have to say that when I first heard about the Quicksilver and Nigel MacKnight's attempt at the WSR, I was enthusiastic and hoped that it would succeed, especially since the design of the boat was done by Ken Norris, but after the lack of progress on the website and with Nigel's bankruptcy, I'm getting the feeling that Quicksilver is pretty much dead in the water. Which is a shame, because I, like the rest of us, would like a British boat to retake the WSR.

[klingon]

I'm getting the feeling that Quicksilver is pretty much dead in the water

...but without even the water part!

Dead in Cyberspace!-(sounds very Klingon dunnit?)

[Excelsior2007]

Any idea who's running the Quicksilver Project now, if Nigel MacKnight isn't invovlved any more?