Despite us trying our best though to show everyone outside what joys we had to offer (we made sure our pavilion was glass), the sheer volume of people often prevented this.  Luckily though, we had something a bit special outside to draw in the interest…

Acting like a beacon of blue and orange on the grass outside was our gorgeously painted Supacat.  This shall be one of the support vehicles that is used out in South Africa during the mission for 1000mph – a 6 wheel transporter that shall carry the 18inch Hybrid Rockets as well as various other equipment.

Asked by Annie Berrisford and Conor La Grue to design the paint scheme for the vehicle in preparation for Farnborough, a large number of possible designs and configurations were quickly produced.  After discussions over the team branding and the challenges of painting in a short time period, the designs were issued and the graphics printed by Andy at Vinyl Graphics – as always fantastic and reliable under pressure!

The team at Supacat did a fantastic job of painting the vehicle and constructing the quiver for the rockets.  Despite there being a 13m long car aiming to go faster than a speeding bullet, it was the Supacat that stole the show for me.  I have included a few of the initial concept layouts below just for your viewing pleasure…

The final vehicle that is used in South Africa may not look like the one at Farnborough, but I am sure that it will be equally (if not more) impressive.

The project is seeking to be an icon – a way to inspire future generations to take up these subjects and ensure that science is there to lead a way in the low carbon world of tomorrow.

There is however a second hazard in the way. A second tripwire that can cause children to falter when striding towards science and engineering.  What is a scientist?  When you sit down in a classroom with a pen and pencil and a teacher asks you to draw a scientist, what do you draw?  Odds are that it will be an elderly man with white hair wearing a lab coat and holding a test tube.  I know, because let’s face it, it is what most of us would draw.

The exact same goes for engineering.  A colleague of mine in PR at a presentation recently asked the audience to name a famous engineer.  The majority came up with Isambard Kingdom Brunel – no doubt a great engineer, but slightly outdated when it comes to 21st century engineering.

How then do you shed this stereotypical image of science and engineering and get the public – both young and old – to widen their understanding of what a modern day scientist really is?  Well, it appears there is an answer – an amazingly simple answer – get them to talk to the scientists.  I shall explain in a moment.

First though, let us be brutally honest.  Science and engineering seem to have a bit of a barrier when it comes to communication with the outside world.  Not all of this is due to the experts themselves – often research and industrial practices mean that information cannot be freely and easily shared with the masses.  Media has also inevitably played its part in the slow decline of STEM subjects – most seem to be of the opinion that science needs to be ‘dumbed down’ so that everyone can understand it.

This however, is completely the wrong way to do it.  The public loves technology, loves science, and loves engineering.  Quietly there is the whisper of change fluttering in the breeze.  Children out there are fascinated by these pioneering subjects.  They want to learn more, they want to know how things work, why the world behaves the way it does and why their television sets spend more time on celebrity gossip than on scientific discovery.  The people have asked, and the scientific community has sat up and listened.

And so I come back to my earlier question – how do you get rid of the stereotypical view that a scientist carries?  You introduce interaction.  Enter I’m a Scientist.

I’m a Scientist is a novel program that takes 100 scientists from all fields and 8,000 students from across the country and mixes them together.  Split into zones, the students get to ask any – and yes I mean any – question to the scientists.  The scientists then answer, as well as participate in live chats and lively discussions until the students vote them off one by one – leaving one scientist victorious in each zone.

What does the winning scientist get? £500 to spend on a way to increase their engagement with children, but most importantly the title of overruling scientist in their zone.  What do the students get? They get to see that scientists are real human beings, they get to have their questions answered, and get to ultimately make a decision on what they feel is important.

Everybody wins.

That stereotype of a scientist is corrected, and children get to see that science can actually be a cool thing to do.

So why am I telling you all about this?  Well, because through an odd series of events I have ended up as one of those 100 scientists.  Today I watched with amazement and an equal amount of fear as other scientists were bombarded with questions.  I am up against some amazing people – including a researcher in renewable energy, a senior lecturer in bone biology and tissue engineering, a research fellow and a senior lecturer in Neuropharmacology.

Will I win? Perhaps, perhaps not.  All that I can say is that I am waiting on tender hooks for that one question that I cannot answer… It’s the taking part that counts, but saying that I wouldn’t mind being crowned overruling scientist.

Now just as I have finished this post, my phone has bleeped to tell me I have received an email.  I think my first question is in…

1 > Firstly, the sections of the model needed to be joined together.  These sections were made using a process known as Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM), and were a rapid prototyped nylon.  The process of manufacture involves taking powdered nylon and heating it with a laser, forming the profile of the piece layer by layer until a three dimensional shape is formed.

2 > The problem with this process is that the powder remains inside of an encased three dimensional piece (such as the parts being used to construct the model).  This powder adds significant weight to the model, and thus needed to be removed.  The pieces were drilled on the unseen (gluing) side, and slowly emptied of powder until light enough to use.

3 > The pieces were glued together and clamped, ensuring that they were aligned correctly.

4 > Slowly the pieces were glued together, creating the main body of the vehicle.

5 > By resting the model on its end, the weight was added to the glued faces helping them to have a tight fit.

6 > The nose cone and the air intake were Rapid Prototyped in a different material by UWE.

7 > The body slowly took shape.

8 > The end piece was glued in place, showing the locations of the jet engine and rocket nozzles.

9 > The front wheels were added to the body.

10 > Once the entire model had been glued and clamped together, the model was sanded and any visible cracks were fillered and sanded smooth.

11 > The display case was made of two elements; an oak base and a clear acrylic lid.  The material for the lid was ordered and cut to size, then sent to a specialist manufacturer in Bristol who bent the sheet into a box section.  The end pieces were then glued in place and the corners sanded.

12 > The base piece was constructed from solid oak strips and some oak veneered MDF.  The oak pieces were made into a frame by Simon Phipps (a local kitchen fitter) and the MDF was sunk into this.  This gave a platform for the model and enough of a recess that the acrylic lid would stay in place.

13 > The painted model returns from Redland Bodyworks.

14 > The model needed to be prepared for assembly, by drilling holes to fit the external features.

15 > The features themselves, again produced by UWE, had been painted ready.

16 >These parts included the rear wheel fairings, the winglets (or canards) and the tail fin.

17 >Several of these holes had ready made jigs to align them, however due to thickness of the paint these no longer fitted correctly.  This meant that the holes had to be marked and drilled manually.

18 > The model was secured to the oak base.

19 > The tail fin was glued together, and the Union Flag stickers (printed by Vinyl Graphics) were applied.

20 > The external pieces and the wheels were very carefully glued in place, making sure that they were all level and aligned.  The sponsor stickers were then applied to the sides.

21 > The finished model.

So… Next time you visit an event and see a little model of the car and decide to take a photograph, or worse try to snap something off, remember just how much time and effort goes into producing one first.

Before we get as far as a moulded steering wheel though, we need to develop a rig.  There are lots of questions to ask when constructing the interface for a supersonic vehicle; and all of them need a definitive answer.  What is it we need to know though?  Is it not just a wheel that attaches to a shaft?

With the exception of the shape of the grips themselves, we need to know how wide we will space them.  We need to know where we will have switches, where we will have triggers, and of course the obvious one – how many do we need.  We need to know what angle the wheel will be at, and what angle the grips will be at on the wheel (be assured, they are not the same thing!).

So, we need to construct a rig.  Something that can gather all of this data in one sitting (Andy Green is a very busy man!) and can be retained for reference afterwards.  Bring on the designer’s forever faithful friend – MDF.

The rig, although being small and slightly – how do I say it – blocky – may be simple, but when used and marked it provides all of the data needed to construct a steering wheel.  It is fully adjustable, pivots in all axis and is a cost effective and accurate way of doing what we need.

Next comes the fun bit.  Moulding it to Andy’s hands.  We coat the grips with clay and get Mr 1000mph to sit down and shape it to something he feels comfortable with.

Now you may think that this is not a particularly high tech method of working.  Surely the team designing the world’s fastest car would use something more fancy than modelling clay and some MDF?  Something with lasers perhaps?  Well the truth is we do, but we will come to that.  First though I must tell you that this is not as antiquated a method as you may think.

A few weeks after I had gotten Andy’s hands to mould the steering grips, I had the pleasure of visiting Kennedy Space Centre in Orlando, Florida.  What did I see on display there? Clay moulds in the shaped of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins’ hands.  It is a simple and effective way of understanding the ergonomics of a person.  Granted at NASA they had moulded the hands rather than the handles, but the principle is the same.  In primary school you draw around your hands to understand the size – we just do the same in three dimensions.

If it works for the first man on the moon, then the likelihood is it will work for the fastest man on earth (and we all know what these men talk about).

After a meeting with Andy, we set up the rig.  One a half packs of air drying clay were layered on the MDF spine, Wing Commander Green positioned at a desk in a similar position to that of the car, and thick racing gloves applied to give a more accurate representation of Andy’s hands in the vehicle.  Then we moulded the grips.  We shaped each grip around his hands, marking on the positions of buttons and triggers, pinches and grasps.  And that was it.  Once completed, we left the clay to dry.

So we ended up with a clay moulding of some steering wheel grips.  What happens next?  As simple as it would be to drill some holes in the clay and attach the switches, I have my doubts as to whether clay can handle the stern grip of Andy Green travelling at Mach 1.4.  What we need to do is create a CAD model of the steering wheel.  This can then be altered, stress tested and eventually manufactured out of something a little bit more sturdy.

But now comes the difficult task – converting a model from the physical to the electronic.  It could be done manually.  It would take quite a while, but it could be done.  There is however a much more efficient and accurate way of getting the data.

Men with lasers.

David Huson and Peter Walters from the Centre of Fine Print at UWE are masters in their field.  Experts in the application of digital technology in art, they were just the people we needed.  A friendly phone call to them and a quick explanation of what we were after and they clearly understood the problem and offered their services (UWE being a founder sponsor of the project has been invaluable).  A short walk later and I found myself in an office crammed full of electronic equipment that I expect I shall never fully understand.

Using lasers, David scanned the profile of each of the grips.  This was meshed with other scans to create a three dimensional model of each handhold.  Wonderful!  No long hours carefully measuring each cross section of the clay model. No problems trying to get the level of accuracy right.  One process, one highly accurate CAD model.

At this point you may think that the job is done.  We have a CAD model, we know how far apart the grips will go, at what angle they will sit and where the buttons will be.  Well, not quite.  In fact, we haven’t even begun the hard part yet.  Now we need to change this electronic copy of some clay moulded to Andy Green’s hands into a working model…

…But that is another story.

—–

It has been eight months. I have travelled the length and breadth of the country, designed rigs that have been to South Africa, designed leaflets and event stands and even done some decorating, but now I am doing something completely different.  With the control systems coming together exceptionally quickly, I have been set the challenge of designing, building and testing a part of the car.

I have set about building a steering wheel for a 1000mph vehicle.

How though does one go about constructing a steering wheel suitable for Mach 1.4? With the high requirements of BLOODHOUND and the intense atmosphere that envelops it, obviously we can’t just go out and buy a second hand column off an old Ford Fiesta.  Instead we have to develop something that meets the precise and often exigent specification that we have set ourselves.

This steering wheel will be moulded to Andy’s hands, making sure that he is in complete control and doesn’t have to look around for buttons – after all, when you are doing a mile in 3.5 seconds you can’t afford to wait a few seconds to fire the parachutes. Before we even get as far as the moulding though, we must undertake that inevitable task that comes with any form of design work; whether it be in secondary school design technology or in the most sophisticated engineering project – research.

Where do you look though? Like a lot of this project, there is very little precedent in supersonic steering wheels. Well, we must look at what has worked, what hasn’t worked, and what is working now. Firstly, we must look backwards.

Back in 1997, Thrust SSC used an aircraft yoke manufactured by Page Aerospace. With the very kind permission of the people at Coventry Transport Museum, I was granted access to the cockpit of the Land Speed Record holder itself. I got to sit in the seat that Andy had been in when he drove through sound, and I got to grab the steering wheel. What struck me the most about this was its size.

As you can see from the picture, the steering wheel fits my hands perfectly. ‘Great!’ you might think, ‘you can use that!’, but I can tell you now that I have seen the size of Andy’s hands, and they are a great deal bigger than mine. And I have what I consider average size hands.  Discussing this with Wing Commander Green though, he said that although the wheel wasn’t perfect, the layout of the wheel and raised guards on the buttons were exceptionally useful, and something we should incorporate into BLOODHOUND.

JCB Dieselmax went for a completely different approach.

Following the more ‘traditional’ approach to racing steering, the setup is similar to that used on a modern day F1 car. The buttons are all positioned on the centre of the steering wheel.  Now, if you place your hands in front of you and imagine you are holding your steering wheel at the ‘quarter-to-three’ position, then try placing your thumbs in the centre, you will feel just how unnatural that position is. Under high pressure, the last thing you want to be doing is having unnecessary forces exerted on your thumbs. What is much more natural is to have your thumbs in the ‘thumbs up’ position – like a joystick. So let’s talk about joysticks.

There are a wide range of joysticks out there that deal with a range of functions; from flight simulator gaming on your PC to HOTAS systems in fighter jets. All of them though have something in common – they are designed to be ergonomically comfortable. They have been painstakingly designed to fit into your hand so you get the most control out of the least physical input. What is important there though is that they have been designed for your hands, and for my hands, and for several thousand other people’s hands. BLOODHOUND SSC is a one man only machine, so we can’t just take two joysticks and join them together to make a yoke. What we can do though is look at their configurations and come up with some concepts from them.  So that is what I did.

Working in parallel with pencil and blue foam, several rough and ready configurations for the steering wheel were created. Obviously these had to modelled to my hands rather than to Andy’s – I couldn’t exactly take his hands with me – but they give a good enough representation of how we could lay out the steering wheel, how many buttons we could fit in and where, and how we wanted the whole set up to feel.

We can then understand what sort of layout Wing Commander Green wishes for his steering wheel; the foundation of the next stage of the project.  From this, we can create a rig that Andy can actually mould to his hands, and that is where the fun really begins.

So what lessons have been learnt from this?

Firstly, talk to your client. In this case my client is Andy Green. The product is for him and him only. What he wants, he gets. He is the most valuable source of information for this design.

Secondly, creating physical models is a nice quick way to get a lot of understanding on ergonomics and functionality.  They can show an idea quicker than you can explain things, and make a huge difference when human factors are involved.

Finally and most importantly; do your research.  It is never the glamorous side of design, especially with a supersonic car, but it is the most valuable. It shapes everything you do, and in modern day design is something so often ignored.  It may not be glamorous, but when someone is using your product at 1000mph, it pays to be thorough.

Part One > How I got my placement with BLOODHOUND SSC.

A.    Joined the supporters club.

When the project was announced back in October 2008, I was immediately interested.  Actually, interested isn’t the word.  I was wide-eyed-jumping-up-and-down-excited-and-revved-up about the project.  This wasn’t a case of ‘Oo, I could get a placement out of this’, it was a case of ‘wow, this is amazing, I want to be a part of this’ situation.

Within 3 hours of the launch I had signed up to the 1K Club.  This is the supporters club for the project; which allows you to go along to talks by the designers, the driver, the engineers and anyone else who has a hand in the project.  It also gives you exclusive access to news before it breaks, to limited edition merchandise and access to the project from the inside.  Think of it as a supersonic IMechE crossed with a Mechano club without the branded T-shirts.  Except we do have the branded T-shirts.  And polo shirts.  And caps, shirts, jackets, scarves and hoodies.

I know it sounds like I am plugging the 1K Club quite a bit, but it really is worth it, and it was a major contributor to where I am now.  My hat (BLOODHOUND branded hat of course) goes off to Ian Glover who runs it; each event is enormous fun and always amazingly interesting.

Anyway.  I joined the 1K Club.  It was there that I heard Richard Noble talk about the aims of the project and how it was being carried out.  It was there that I saw the story of the design unfold, and it was there that I met John Piper.  I got myself known through these events; and in the end it was that that sealed the deal.

B.    BLOODHOUND@University

Whilst all of this was going on, like any good battle an attack was launched on another front.  By another front, I mean the University, and by attack I mean getting involved.  As the University of the West of England (UWE) was one of the BLOODHOUND Project’s founding sponsors, a project was arranged for students to help design the cockpit for the car.

Now I know that you would immediately raise a few eyebrows about the viability of a group of twenty-somethings designing the office of a 1000mph vehicle, but the entire project was used as a proving ground.  It set about to validate both the idea that student participation would be beneficial, but also that the guys behind the desks in the Design Office were following the right track.  A few fresh minds to a job can often work wonders.  I once again was amazingly lucky – I was one of the ‘fresh minds’ that worked on this project.

Rather than go into depth about the design process itself, I shall merely point you in the direction of the media coverage that was gained from fitting the driver to the mash of MDF.  Incidentally, if you wish to go and see the rig, it is now on prominent display at an excellent exhibition about ergonomics that currently resides at the London Design Museum.

C.    Sent off my CV.

When the time came and the shadow of placement was looming just over the ever approaching horizon, I broached the topic of Industrial Placement with John Piper and the engineering team.  As you can imagine, John is quite a busy man (being lead engineer on a supersonic-world-record-breaking-car isn’t exactly a walk in the park), so I didn’t harass him.  I mentioned that I was looking for something and showed just how keen and enthusiastic I was.

When it came to sending off my CV, I was honest.  There is a lot of misrepresentation and truth-bending with CV writing, and I don’t think that is fair.  Yes, say that you have done freelance graphics work if you have gone and designed some leaflets and posters for a restaurant, but you probably shouldn’t if you have done a headed agenda for your local gardening club.

I made sure that all of the covering letters were polite and respectful (and spell checked!), and used the time in-between correspondents to apply elsewhere.  Granted, BLOODHOUND was my main choice for placement, but I had backup plans.  Always have a backup plan.

D.     Patience.

The hardest part of the entire placement application process is the waiting.  You have sent off your CV and taster page, you have had pleasant conversations with the designers and management, and they have said the second worst line you can hear.  Obviously the worst is ‘no thanks’, but a close second is ‘thank you, we will be in touch’.

Now you have to wait.  And wait.  And wait some more.  The temptation at this point is to ring them or send them an email every few days just to make sure they have read through your polished and well presented profile.  The problem is that doing that will in most cases annoy them greatly, turning your expensively printed CV into the world’s most expensive paper aeroplane.

What I did was use the time productively.  During the response time, I sent off other applications, I kept up to date with all of the latest news on the project, and redid my portfolio for the umpteenth time.  Every three or so weeks I would send an email asking (politely) if there was any update on the application process, but would combine this request with a few samples of recent work.  This was I didn’t sound too desperate, or if I did I still diverted their attention away from it.

E.     The Interview.

Again this is a hurdle that a lot of people tend to fall down at, and without sounding too cocky (and most likely failing miserably) I am never really sure why.  Interviews are about being yourself, or at least making everyone else think that they are seeing you being yourself.  As long as you are relaxed, well rested and reasonably confident in your abilities you will be alright.  Once again, there are thousands if not millions of pieces on interview technique out there, so go take a peak.  I went in to that interview slightly nervous I shall admit, but I was prepared.

I was wearing a full suit; something that not only shows you are taking the interview seriously but also gives you that extra boost of confidence.  I knew every detail about the organisation I was going to and about my own work.  Best of all though I was armed with a freshly printed, £120 portfolio.  It was printed on high quality paper, at an excellent printing shop, and was displayed in a nice case.  It sounds like a lot of money, but this is something I can add to and use again for years to come.  Worth every penny, especially if it makes your work stand out over everyone elses.

And that was it.  Six months later I have travelled the length and breadth of the country, designed test rigs that have been used in South Africa, I have done basic concept work on steering wheels, made models, produced documents, made carry cases and CAD files, learnt drafting and email etiquette, and also learnt that no matter where you end up getting placement; it will most likely be kept afloat by one magical substance.

Part Two > What advice would I give for getting a placement?

1.    Get yourself known.

With social media and networking being in abundance, the easiest way to get yourself recognised is through the internet.  If you are not already on Twitter; join it.  Most big design firms and high profile companies have their own twitter stream – follow them, read what they have to say and ask them questions.  This does not mean bombard them with enquiries, but merely show an interest.  ReTweet stuff you find interesting, send them links to articles and posts that you think they may like.  In the end what may make your name stand out from the rest in a pile of CVs is simply the fact they recognise it.

This goes the same for other forums on the internet too.  Comment on blog posts, look at Tumblr accounts, read their LinkedIn and view their Flickr page.  Again, don’t become their stalker, but do enough that the small voice in their head that says ‘Hmm, I recognise that name’ pops up when they see your cover letter.

2.    Go to meet them.

The majority of design and engineering firms with the exception of the defence industry exhibit at certain points.  Go along.  Not only will you expand your knowledge of the company, but you will also get to see other similar opportunities.  Chat to the designers.  Try to understand why they do and more importantly, how they do it.  This again will help stand out for the crowd, but also give you the reassurance (or perhaps dissuade you altogether) that this is the company you want to work for.

3.    Wording is very important.

A common problem with coming from a design or engineering background is that people seem to have an issue with traditional spelling and grammar.  From personal experience, the number of people who send out letters, CVs and portfolios without spell checking them first is absolutely shocking.  With almost all word processing programmes now having spell checkers built in, there is no excuse for this.
One other problem that you have to sidestep around is the way you word letters.  Naturally be polite, be courteous and be respectful in your tone, but don’t lose all of the individuality in your writing.  You still want to stand out, so keep an element of yourself in the text.  Do not, however great and desirable your skills may be, assume you are already a part of the team.  Making suggestions for improvements or general ideas to companies can go down exceptionally well, but phrasing it in a way that says you are heavily involved in the running of the company can rub people up the wrong way. You – yes. We – no.

4.    Don’t give up.

It is very easy to get disheartened whilst searching for placement.  I saw it happen to some of my closest friends.  They would send out requests, and get rejected, and then have to do it all again.  Do not give up on the chase.  If you get turned down, then thank them kindly and move on.  Still keep in touch with them via point 1 and 2; situations may change in a few years time.  Keep trying, keep sending out requests, and keep your enthusiasm.  Sometimes it is easy to see that someone will get turned down for a placement – they have already given up.

So there we have it.  I cannot guarantee that you will get a placement if you follow these guidelines.  I cannot say that you will go out and get an interview with the first company you follow on twitter.  I am not even going to wish you luck on this one.  You don’t need luck.  You need to believe in yourself, and know you are a good designer.  Who else is going to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself?

Go now, and produce another draft of your CV.

I am going to go and get a coffee.

[As with John Bradford, I too must give full disclosure.  A member of the 1K club, I also now work on the Bloodhound Project and am fully biased to how great the project is.]

The West of England Design Forum have always tried to get a wide and diverse range of designer’s to give talks at the city’s Watershed venue, but it is rare that they manage to get product designers and even more rare that they get one working on such a pioneering project.

Mike Turner, one of the lead designers on the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car Project gave a fascinating and thought provoking presentation on Wednesday night on why it is that he does what it is that he does.

His career, to put it simply, is full of interesting projects.  Starting in 1997 with Adtranz designing rail vehicles, he moved his way through the Renfew Group and JCB until he became senior industrial designer working on the JCB Dieselmax World Record Vehicle.  Now running his own company (Mike Turner Design Ltd) he came to the Bloodhound through links made with Dieselmax.  ‘I got bored, so moved on’ seemed to be a concurrent theme throughout his career.

What was interesting was hearing how much of a balancing act his sort of design really is.  Designing the A-Surface bodyshell of the Bloodhound SSC (the surface that interacts with the air) involves continuous liaising between the lead engineer (John Piper) and the chief aerodynamicist (Ron Ayres).  Mike works with the CAD software Alias, trying to make the profile of the car as sleek and as ’slippery’ as possible whilst still accommodating the package that needs to be carried within.

One of the more surprising points that he raised came down to the time that he actually spends on the project.  As each new configuration of the car body needs to go through CFD testing, it could be a case of several weeks between design iterations.  The results would come back from the analysis, twenty to thirty changes would be listed, Mike would redesign the model and off it would go for another round.

What was clear though from his talk was that this project held its own unique constraints.  This is design at its absolute limits.  Very few rules are known.  What is more though, this is a one off project.  This means that there are no manufacturing constraints; each part is bespoke.  Neither I nor the organisers of the event had seen so many questions raised by the audience.  It is a captivating project; one that inspires and begs you to find out more.  Mike Turner only gave a taste of the challenges and complications that building the fastest car on earth holds, but nonetheless it was worth it, just to see where design can take you – to the borders of what is possible.

- Hywel

Finally though, after sending some links through to various blogs, some of the design magazines have started to find the story, and seem to be pretty accurate.  I am just happy that I am quoted.  Pictures aren’t too bad either.

Core 77

Promotional Photograph, courtesy of Matt Ohman

Here are a few of the articles I have found thus far from the event, will update as I find more.

Daily Mail

Bloodhound SSC

Evening Post

UWE

BBC Points West

BBC General Press Release

ITV (News before the event)

Matt Ohman’s Photos (images from the event kindly uploaded by Matt)

West Business

Press Association

RAC (We all apparently designed the entire car now)

The National Newspaper (more of a general release, not so much on the cockpit fitting)

CBBC (for those of you who need the Bloodhound project explained in easy language)

Photograph of PDT Students with Andy Green (photograph by Matt Ohman)

Yes, we are working on the Bloodhound SSC. In terms of work, design and general enthusiasm, this has to be the biggest and best project we have done to date – and I am excited! Normally projects involve some sketch work, some CAD, maybe some innovative conceptual work, but all of this tends to be for mass manufactured products. Designing the test rig for the seat for a 1000mph car is a one off. There will not be lots of the seats made, tit will not be designed for everyone, and on top of that the car will only do several runs. As Andy Green said to us, this is a continuous experiment, not a corporate build.

There has only been one slight let down with the entire Bloodhound concept as far as I can tell though. The project is based here at UWE. The models have been made at UWE, and the first full scale mock-up is being built ten minutes from… you guessed it… UWE.

When you Google Bloodhound though, it is Swansea University that comes up with all of the hits. In fact, Swansea is second on the list, whereas UWE is tenth. On Wikipedia, under the heading of Design, it is stated “The School of Engineering at Swansea University have been heavily involved in the design of the vehicle from the start.”

As far as I can tell though, Swansea has been based around the aerodynamic testing of the design, and the general forces that revolve around it. The BBC upon the announcement of the project wrongly stated that the project was ‘being run by Swansea University’.

I am not angry with this. Swansea was one of my top choices of University. My brother and my parents both went to Swansea, and fair play to them they are promoting themselves for all that they can. Perhaps though UWE should take a greater interest in the promotion of the project. It has students working on it, it has events for the project based on its campus, and so now maybe it should update Wikipedia too…