Author Topic: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary  (Read 32654 times)

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Offline MAYOMAN

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The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« on: October 18, 2019, 10:13:47 AM »
49 years ago on October 23, the product of three young guys from Milwaukee, The Blue Flame, driven by Gary Gabelich of Long Beach, California, set the absolute world land speed record at 1,014.656 km/h (630.388 mi/h), the first land speed record over 1,000 km/h.
While, in the 1960s, hotrodders purchased surplus military turbojet engines and attempted to see how fast they could go, these three guys (Pete Farnsworth, Ray Dausman, and Dick Keller) decided how fast they wanted to go and built the rocket power plant and streamlined monocoque-framed car to achieve their goal.
Their 1970 flying start FIA-certified kilometer record was not broken for 27 years and was the last absolute world land speed record set on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It remains the last absolute world land speed record set by an American car and driver. It also was the last absolute world land speed record set using pneumatic (Goodyear) tires.
The September 15, 1970 Milwaukee Journal article illustrates we called our shot for 1970. Unfortunately, we could not continue toward our ultimate goal, Mach 1, the following year.
Next Fall the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution will feature an exhibit labeled ?A Nation of Speed?. Somehow, they have decided to ignore The Blue Flame and Gary Gabelich?s historic American speed achievement. A nation of speed? Really?
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline WOODY@DDLLC

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2019, 02:48:21 PM »
Mayoman, sad, but seems to be par for the course these days!  :-(
They would likely want to saw it in half in order to display it properly!  :x
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Online kiwi belly tank

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2019, 03:11:03 PM »
Not including The Blue Flame sure doesn't make any sense!
For those who don't know, MAYOMAN is Dick Keller. You are remembered by those who care. :friday
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Offline woz

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2019, 06:04:40 PM »


« Last Edit: October 18, 2019, 06:13:19 PM by woz »

Offline woz

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2019, 06:12:21 PM »
Photo of jacket taken the other day at the Daytona Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum after we took the speedway tour.  Also on hand both Challenger 1, Challenger 2 and Sir Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird V amongst many other machines.  If in the area, highly recommend taking in.

Woz


Offline TD

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2019, 07:15:33 PM »
The Blue Flame features briefly here https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ehYyVFqtj/.

Offline MAYOMAN

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2019, 11:02:01 AM »
The first ten seconds of the video states - A pencil thin rocket car without any air intakes like The Blue Flame would seem to be the optimum design for a land speed record car, so why? ?
That was MY point, above, WE decided how fast WE wanted to go and then designed and built the power plant and car to make it happen  - rather than just buying an existing military turbojet and mounting it on wheels.
WE started the sponsored project to design and build The Blue Flame in August 1968 and set the absolute world land speed record in October 1970. Not too shabby! Two years!
Now the NMAH is ignoring the last American car and driver to set the absolute world land speed record even though we offered to make artifacts available. The Blue Flame, itself, is in the Sinsheim Museum in Germany where they will properly celebrate the 50th anniversary of setting the first absolute world land speed record above 1,000 km/h.
Even more galling, the NMAH will be featuring Evel Knievel in the A Nation of Speed exhibit. See the excerpted content document attached below.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline Speed Limit 1000

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2019, 12:41:51 PM »
The Blue Flame and your team will always be remembered. Building everything and doing it was an amazing accomplishment. Whoever is putting this display together will never understand what it takes. Evil was a daredevil entertainer, my guess is that is the level of history that they want, no matter how stupid it is.

John
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Offline Stainless1

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2019, 11:33:23 PM »
 National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution director must be dumber than Forrest Gump... Stupid is as stupid does.... typical bureaucrat... much like the guy that didn't want to display the Enola Gay on the 50th of the bomb drop.... didn't want to offend anyone....
A Nation of Speed?  Well it offends me that the last US holder of the ultimate Land Speed Record is not included....
Stainless
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Offline PorkPie

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2019, 02:43:40 AM »
Luckily, there are people who not forgot that racer and take care of him
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Offline N72727

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2019, 02:47:23 PM »
The Blue Flame & Gary Gabelich.

Offline TrickyDicky

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2019, 04:30:27 PM »
Where should I be on 23 October 2020, to celebrate the anniversary?

Offline J79

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2019, 07:48:09 PM »
Mayoman. Do you have the details on the time and distance to get to the speeds?
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Offline Stainless1

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2019, 11:34:16 PM »
79... google is your friend, give it a try
Stainless
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Offline MAYOMAN

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Re: The Blue Flame's 50th Anniversary
« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2019, 08:37:25 AM »
We did a couple of standing start 1/4-mile runs when we arrived at the salt flats. This was before we reconfigured the rocket motor. I always quote the 6.724 second elapsed time as an indicator of the acceleration potential. Later we only were attempting the flying start 1 mile and 1 kilometer records I1,014.656 km/h absolute LSR). Our instrumentation was primitive 49 years ago. We had vacuum tube electronics and no GPS.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast