Robin / Pork Pie
Donald's BlueBird K7 rebuild very interesting after his daughter had it pulled from the lake. After all the years still enough left to rebuild it they have thoughts of running it again but not 300mph I don't think
Link to rebuild
http://www.bluebirdproject.com/Bluebirdproject/frame.htmBLUEBIRD K7: HYDROPLANE
Overall length………………………..26 ft 4 ins.
Overall beam………………………...10 ft 6 ins.
Overall height………………………..4 ft 8 1/2 ins.
Length of floats………………………12 ft 3 3/4 ins.
All-up weight…………………………2 1/2 tons (approx.).
Construction...............................high duty 'Birmabright' light alloy hull,
built around a high tensile tubular steel main frame.
POWER UNIT
Make & type……..Metropolitan Vickers "Beryl" turbo-jet engine of Straight-through design
with: 10-stage axial compressor, single stage turbine.
(Later replaced with a Bristol Siddley Orpheus from a Gnat fighter plane)
Dimensions……….11 ft 9 ins. Long,
3 ft 2 ins. Diameter,
1780 lbs. Weight
Thrust…………….4,000 Thrust-lbs (Beryl). Sea level static at 8,000 revolutions per minute.
Fuel……………… Kerosene, stored in a "saddle" tank.
Consumption……. 650 gallons Kerosene per hour; 3 tons of air per minute.
