Driver Andy Green reveals the cockpit of the Bloodhound supersonic car
The cockpit for the British Bloodhound supersonic car has been built and fitted out.
Driver Andy Green, who will use the vehicle to try to break his own World Land Speed Record, calls it "my 1,000mph office".
Bloodhound is about a year away from full assembly.
The plan is to take it to South Africa in Autumn 2015 and raise the current record of 763mph, before returning in 2016 to go beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h).
Bloodhound's cockpit is a snug fit, although not as tight as, say, a Formula One racing car.
The main structure is a 200kg carbon-fibre shell, or monocoque.
It bolts directly to the vehicle's metallic rear chassis, which carries a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine and a rocket motor.
Forward of the cockpit is the front suspension and Bloodhound's nose.
Driver Andy Green, who will use the vehicle to try to break his own World Land Speed Record, calls it "my 1,000mph office".
Bloodhound is about a year away from full assembly.
The plan is to take it to South Africa in Autumn 2015 and raise the current record of 763mph, before returning in 2016 to go beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h).
Bloodhound's cockpit is a snug fit, although not as tight as, say, a Formula One racing car.
The main structure is a 200kg carbon-fibre shell, or monocoque.
It bolts directly to the vehicle's metallic rear chassis, which carries a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine and a rocket motor.
Forward of the cockpit is the front suspension and Bloodhound's nose.
Andy Green's seat is moulded to his body shape, and the steering wheel, 3D printed in titanium, follows exactly the contours of his hands.
"Land speed record cars do need quite a bit of steering because they have a tendency to slide around under all that acceleration," he told BBC News on a tour of his "office".
The displays and dials in front of him are designed to give the Wing Commander only that information he needs to control the car on its record runs.
The central screen carries a speedometer with markers to let him know when to kick in the rocket or deploy the braking parachute.
It also shows data on wheel loads. "It's fundamental we keep the wheels on the ground. If we do that we can't have a crash," Andy Green says in a matter-of-fact way.
The Full article can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27699104
"Land speed record cars do need quite a bit of steering because they have a tendency to slide around under all that acceleration," he told BBC News on a tour of his "office".
The displays and dials in front of him are designed to give the Wing Commander only that information he needs to control the car on its record runs.
The central screen carries a speedometer with markers to let him know when to kick in the rocket or deploy the braking parachute.
It also shows data on wheel loads. "It's fundamental we keep the wheels on the ground. If we do that we can't have a crash," Andy Green says in a matter-of-fact way.
The Full article can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27699104