North American Eagle on TV today....

[Sumner]

Am I the only one who watched this show.  I though like the speed coverage of the motorcycles that Discovery Channel did a very good job.

I can't believe the work that has gone into the NAE by the whole team and they have some very talented personnel on that team.  I need to spend some more time on their web site.  The pictures of the plane when it was first found and the condition it was in makes hauling a piece of metal out the the desert and turning it into a street rod or hot rod a piece of cake.

I don't know if they will achieve their goal or not, hope they do, but what ever the outcome those guys can be proud of what they have done.

The fact that they found the old plane ID number 763, that Yeager flew it, and that is the current land speed record mph number is quite a coincidence.  Is fate, something I'm not a big believer in, at work here??

The 300+ run on I think a 5000 foot runway was also quite impressive to say the least, especially if it was truly the first run the car made, which the show implied.

c ya,

Sum

[Tom Shannon]

Also enjoyed the program this afternoon! If you go to their website, small & large corporate sponsorships and equip. is still needed. I agree Sum, a group of very dedicated ,aerospace "go fast guys" and gals! Discovery Channel website doesn't show any other show times? Hopefully re-aired again soon.

[t russell]

I saw it amaseing,that ride is tooo wild .Great show, need more of a fix.MORE SHOWS PLEASE

[smitty2]

 Saw the NAE at Puyallup fair a couple of years ago and was pretty impressed. I didn't know until I read Sums post that it was at Edwards. My wife grew up at Edwards, her Dad was one of the X-15 Techs, and they lived on base in the civilian housing. My wife can remember her mother cussing about "That damn Star fighter" always knocking the dishes off of the shelves. Not known if it was 763 making the sonic booms, or if any plane that rocked the house was "That Damn Star Fighter". From what I gather it was a ritual for chase planes to anounnce a new record by doing a super sonic buzz.
 These may just be the recollections of a woman crazed by childhood years of snakes, bugs, and crazy test pilots and probably in no way represent reality.

Smitty

[RidgeRunner]

     Magnetic brake concept really intrigued me.  Had heard about it before but until I saw the diagrams on the show didn't realize all the potential areas it could lead to.  Racing can still really "improve the breed" through technology as well as exposure.

[smitty2]

 I see that it is steered by a joystick. I don't know if the stick actually steers the front wheels, or if it applies braking to rear wheels, or if it uses aerodynamic steering at high speeds. It may explain all that on their web site, but there is so much to see on that site I may have missed it somewhere.
 I really have to give these guys a lot of credit... when I first checked it out I was pretty skeptical. I did some Hydrodynamics studies in college which are pretty much the same as aerodynamics and since the F-104 is basicly a "Lifting Body" with the wings mainly used for directional stability and not lift...Well I thought this car would just take off and fly when it got to rotational speed. After seeing that they are using Canards I decided that there are people a hell of a lot smarter than me doing the work!
 I hope they can bring the record home for us.. They deserve it.
Good luck NAE team.

Smitty