- Sensor issue causes BLOODHOUND SSC to enter safety mode, preventing reheat at Education Day event at Cornwall Airport Newquay
- Car reached 185mph on second run
- Testing and trial runs in preparation for public events deemed a success
A sensor failure on the throttle pedal meant BLOODHOUND SSC did not achieve reheat (aka afterburners) during the two test runs on the Education Day at Cornwall Airport Newquay. The BLOODHOUND Engineering Team investigated the data and within minutes had identified the issue.
Crowds at the Education Day move onto the runway to watch BLOODHOUND SSC
Engineering Director Mark Chapman said: “Whilst the driver, Andy Green, was not able to reach maximum reheat and show flames out the back of the car, he did reach 185 mph in front of an audience of three thousand school children which had been eagerly awaiting this event for several weeks. This Car is a unique vehicle made from 3,500 purpose-designed and individually built components. When the two sensors on the throttle pedal didn’t agree, they put the car into a safety mode that meant Andy was unable to reach reheat. This is exactly what they are meant to do so this constitutes another useful outcome for our test programme here at Newquay.”
In the weeks before the 30th October event, the BLOODHOUND Team had carried out both static and dynamic tests at Cornwall Airport Newquay, which had been very successful overall. A rigorous set of run profiles saw the Car driven at gradually increasing speeds, and culminated with 210mph trials on 26th October. Despite the slightly slower than predicted speed, however, the Team has gathered enough data and hands-on experience to feed back into the next stages of development and planning.
The BLOODHOUND Project would like to thank the staff of Cornwall Airport Newquay for their support during recent weeks. The airfield proved to be the ideal test and develop centre for the world’s fastest car.
Andy Green tells the excited audience what happened on the runs today
