Bluebird

[DownWest]

To be of any interest to me, land speed has to be wheel driven and water speed has to be propeller driven. Everything else is just a plane eithout wings, as you say. And as for that ridiculous bloodhound project, attempting a purely arbitrary goal in a pointless way ... hah. I'm not alone in that view, I think, which is why it has run out of money and stalled for years.



Amen.

Inclined to agree about the driven wheels and propellors. From what I read, there will be no attempts to go really fast, probably not much over the 130 they reportedly have already done. IIRR, DC ran over his own wash from the first run, which caused the nose to bump up and flipped it.

 

[JumbleDuck]

IIRR, DC ran over his own wash from the first run, which caused the nose to bump up and flipped it.

There is an interesting discussion of the final events at http://www.ruskinmuseum.com/content/donald-campbell-bluebird/why-did-bluebird-k7-crash.php. The flip seems to have been triggered by the engine failing; without its thrust pushing the nose down, lift at the front end took over.

As far as I can tell, some very basic wind tunnel testing had been carried out in 1953 when K7 was new, but huge changes were later made, including the larger engine, without ever doing any proper testing. Frankly, the whole set-up was extremely amateurish and I'm surprised Campbell got as fast as he did before being killed.

 

[[2068]]

I read somewhere that the sums had been done on what would happen up to 250mph, but at 320mph with the newer, more powerful engine they were pushing into unknown territory.

 

[vyv_cox]

I almost was there. The attempt on the record was scheduled for a Thursday and I booked a day off work to go and see it. On the day there was too much wind, so I drove to Aberystwyth instead. The final attempt was made on the Friday (I think) by which time I was back at work.

 

[penfold]

Oh dear. Very unedifying.

Bluebird: Donald Campbell's restored hydroplane faces ownership row

 

[Caraway]

fall out with lake district idiots. The atmoshere on Bute is unbelievable and the island has bent over backwards to accommodate the team for this historic moment. Bet the lake district people are sorry now ! Hopefully it can be resolved and still do a run on Coniston water as planned.

You haven't been following the saga. The boat was gifted to The Ruskin Museum in Coniston by the Campbell family but the idiot Bill Smith who recovered it and rebuilt it doesn't want to give it back. It's at a legal stage at present.
As Penfold mentioned.

Many people think it should have been displayed as found. That is the history of the boat.

 

[penberth3]

You haven't been following the saga. The boat was gifted to The Ruskin Museum in Coniston by the Campbell family but the idiot Bill Smith who recovered it and rebuilt it doesn't want to give it back. It's at a legal stage at present.
As Penfold mentioned.

Many people think it should have been displayed as found. That is the history of the boat.

Another option was to leave it where it was. Too late now.

 

[penfold]

No doubt Rumpole will get a few sherries out of it.

 

[Caraway]

Another option was to leave it where it was. Too late now.

Bill Smith found the body as well. Many think that was a good thing. I have no opinion on that, but once he found everything he was determined to recover it all. Many people are of the opinion that he conned the Campbell family and that the honourable thing to have done would be to have given the wreck to them instead of spiriting it away to his workshop in the North East.
He, in reality, has deconstructed the history of Donald Campbell and brought it all into a messy culmination of egos.

 

[penfold]

That very silly man appears closer to getting his wish, although m'learned friends have not really had a go at it so I'd have thought there was mileage in it yet.

Bluebird; dismantling only remaining option

 

[ashtead]

Resurrecting an old thread to say I had a great trip on the restored national trust steam vesssel yesterday with a very informative guide . Sadly we didn’t have time to visit the Ruskin museum but I just wanted really to say for anyone in the Lakes do book a trip on the lake on the NT vessel. Lots to see even for non boatyard types -powered we heard by a Welsh train engine .

 

[benjenbav]

Another option was to leave it where it was. Too late now.

Great deal to be said for that. I spent quite a lot of time sailing and windsurfing on Coniston when I was a youth.

The presence of Bluebird K7 and the events that led up to the crash were always things of which one was aware, especially off Brantwood.

I don’t think anyone needed to see what was left of the wreck of K7 and I’m really not at all sure why Campbell’s remains couldn’t have been left in peace.

As for the rebuild. Well, it’s a novelty, I suppose.

 

[benjenbav]

Resurrecting an old thread to say I had a great trip on the restored national trust steam vesssel yesterday with a very informative guide . Sadly we didn’t have time to visit the Ruskin museum but I just wanted really to say for anyone in the Lakes do book a trip on the lake on the NT vessel. Lots to see even for non boatyard types -powered we heard by a Welsh train engine .

Quiet. Blimmin’ sneaks up on you if you’re not paying attention when sailing around those parts…